Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney collectively took over the soccer club, Wrexham AFC, in February of 2021. Since then things have turned around for the club for the better as they qualified for the National League playoffs and made it to the final of the FA Trophy for the first time in seven whole years. Although the squad lost the finals, it goes without saying that the actors’ contribution has been of great benefit to Wrexham AFC.
Recently, in a ceremony honoring Ryan Reynolds for his work in the industry, co-owner Rob McElhenney had a heartfelt speech ready to honor his friend and business partner. The speech was incredibly moving and Ryan Reynolds himself would agree as he replied to a tweet not only calling the two the greatest owners in world football but also brothers.
Rob McElhenney’s Heartfelt Message to Ryan Reynolds
Recently, Ryan Reynolds was awarded the 36th American Cinematheque Award, a lifetime achievement award given to those artists who have made a significant impact and contribution to the art of the Moving Picture. Needless to say, Reynolds’ work in the industry makes him quite the right choice to be on the receiving end of the prestigious award.
Adding to the happiness of winning the award, Reynolds’ friend, Rob McElhenney was ready with a whole speech about why he absolutely admires the actor. Reynolds replied to a tweet showing how emotional he was for McElhenney’s speech.
Taking the center of the stage, McElhenney started off his speech by stating that being a subject of a documentary is “terrifying” as you did not have the privilege of hiding behind a script before hilariously adding, “or in Ryan’s case a spray tan, six inch lifts and what is most certainly a toupee.”
McElhenney continued that in a documentary, it doesn’t matter if the person is a brilliant actor. In one moment or another, the mask eventually falls off revealing the truth of who the actor is. He then stated that while he knew Reynolds was a “pretty good actor”, he couldn’t talk to him as an actor but as a man. McElhenney added that he had spent two years on the journey with Reynolds and that there is a strong chance that the duo will be on the journey for the rest of their lives.
He continued that there was absolutely no one else he would rather be on the journey with than the Red Notice actor stating that his work ethic, talent, and integrity are unparalleled.
“There is no person on earth that I would rather be doing this with than Ryan. He’s massively successful in everything that he does. His work ethic is unparalleled, his talent is undeniable and he has as much integrity as anyone I’ve ever met.”
The Wrexham AFC co-owner continued that while all of the above-mentioned things are important, they aren’t the reasons why he loves Reynolds. The attribute that McElhenney absolutely admires in the actor is his kindness.
“They aren’t the reasons that I love him and I do love him. The principal reason that I’m excited about potentially spending the rest of my life with him is that he’s been able to accomplish all these things while never straying away from an unwavering commitment to simple basic kindness. He approaches every project, every endeavour, every relationship, every interaction with a kindness that is so striking, it’s disarming. You’re almost waiting for the other shoe to drop but it never does.”
All while McElhenney was going on and on about how much he adores his business partner, Reynolds could be seen in the audience, clapping, smiling, and going all heart-eyes for his friend. It seems like the duo truly loves working together!
Welcome to Wrexham Wins a Critics Choice Award
The docu-series featuring Reynolds and McElhenney’s journey taking over the Wrexham AFC club was quite well-received by the viewers. Not only did Welcome to Wrexham show the journey of the co-owners, but it also used the eighteen episodes to shine a light on the history of Wales and the troubles faced by Wrexham.
The team’s work did not go in vain as Welcome to Wrexham was awarded with a Critics Choice Documentary Award in the category of Best Sports Documentary for their efforts. Not only that, but the documentary also became the seventh most-watched program across all platforms in the week.
Welcome to Wrexham is available to stream on Hulu.
Source: Twitter
