Blake Lively is on board with husband Ryan Reynolds’ many ventures — even if some of them took a little convincing.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight Thursday, the Deadpool star, 45, spoke about how Lively eventually warmed up to his adventure to buy Wales’ Wrexham football league with friend Rob McElhenney, also 45.
“I promise I consult my wife before putting pants on,” Reynolds joked. Lively, who was not thrilled when the idea first came up, has finally understood what it was all about, he said. “She’s actually more obsessed with Wrexham than I am.”
Reynolds then recalled the moment when it all clicked for his wife of 10 years. “We were laying in bed after the Wembley match and she’s like, ‘I’m now as obsessed if not more than you are with this club and this community and this town and everything it represents and where it can go,'” he said. “She’s as obsessed as I am, she’s already looking at the schedule throughout the year wondering which matches she can attend so it’s pretty great.”
“It wasn’t even a particularly riveting match,” Reynolds told ET, “we lost one one-nil, it wasn’t the outcome we wanted.” He continued, “We’ve got Beckham, Will [Ferrell] is there, it’s just — the atmosphere at Wembley is electric, and you talk to some of these players, and they said their whole lives could go by as a professional athlete, and never enter that stadium, so, it’s massively a revered moment.”
The Free Guy star also shared how his Ted Lasso aspirations have affected his parenting of his three daughters, James, Inez and Betty. “The motivational speeches that I give my children are wholesale inappropriate,” he said.
“They play soccer, they love it, but I’m like, ‘Let’s quench our thirst on the blood of your enemies’ and they’re like ‘Dad, let’s take it down 55 notches,'” Reynolds recalled.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this month, Reynolds sat down with his Welcome to Wrexham co-star, McElhenney, and explained that after the two became friends, they decided to buy part of a Welsh soccer team together — without consulting Lively.
Reynolds and McElhenney’s friendship started after the Deadpool star watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and felt compelled to tell McElhenney how much he enjoys his work.
“I kind of slid into your DMs,” Reynolds said. “As I’m getting older, I’m thinking, ‘I’ve gotta tell people when I appreciate them more.'”
The two became fast friends, and decided to buy Wrexham together.
“I remember seeing Blake and saying, ‘I have bad news and I have really bad news. The bad news is I slipped into someone’s DMs again. The really bad news is that I might have bought half of a fifth-tier national football league in Wales,’ ” Reynolds said.
The actor said his wife’s reaction to the news was “not good.”
“We’re still working through that one.”
Other than the slight stress on his marriage, Reynolds joked that McElhenney is “the best businesses partner” he’s ever had as the pair get ready to release their new documentary series. The FX series follows the actors as they navigate ownership of a struggling football league, documenting the behind-the-scenes moments from meeting the team to setting up gym equipment.
In May, Reynolds and Lively were spotted with McElhenney as they cheered for their team on the sidelines at Wembley Stadium in London. Though Wrexham lost 1-0 to Bromley, the group appeared to be all smiles during the afternoon outing.
Welcome to Wrexham premieres August 24 on FX.
