Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get Madonna‘s permission to use her 1989 hit “Like a Prayer” in Deadpool & Wolverine.
The two actors, along with director Shawn Levy, shared in a recent interview with Andy Cohen on SiriusXM, via People, that they actually had to visit the iconic singer to ask her to license the track.
“It did involve a personal visit to Madonna, where we showed Madonna the sequence where ‘Like a Prayer’ would be used,” Levy explained.
“Also, let’s preface it with the fact that they don’t license — that Madonna doesn’t just license the song, particularly that song,” Reynolds added. “It was a big deal to ask for it and certainly a bigger deal to use it. We went over and met with her and and sort of showed her how it was being used, and where, and why.”
Levy noted that it felt like they were “meeting royalty” during the visit. Reynolds even joked that he had to ask one of Madonna’s team members how he should appropriately address her.
“Like am I allowed to just say, ‘Madonna?’” the Free Guy actor recalled. “Like, ‘Hello Madonna, I’m Ryan.’”
The visit ended up being an overall success, with the “Material Girl” artist granting them permission to use the song, as well as offering the Deadpool & Wolverine team some helpful notes for the scene using “Like A Prayer.”
“She gave a great note,” Reynolds said. “She watched it, and I’m not kidding, [she said], ‘You need to do this.’ And damn it, if she wasn’t like spot on.”
“We literally went into a new recording session within 48 hours to do this note,” Levy added. “It made the sequence better.”
Deadpool & Wolverine, which sees Reynolds and Jackman’s characters team up for a new mission, hits theaters on July 26.