Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds has admitted that the club’s promotion battle has left him with an “eight inch ulcer” as they look to secure a place in the Championship
Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds has confessed he’s completely stressed out over Wrexham‘s nail-biting promotion battle as they teeter on the brink of reaching the Championship. The Deadpool actor, who shares ownership of the Welsh team with Rob McElhenney, revealed just how tense things are getting with the club sitting in second place in League One and only a couple of matches away from potential glory.
Wrexham’s dream of jumping up to the Championship could become reality on Saturday if they clinch victory against fourth-placed Charlton at the Racecourse Ground, providing Wycombe drop points at Leyton Orient. But a twist in the tale could see the fight for the third tier’s second automatic promotion spot drag out to the very last day of the season.
Reynolds shared his jitters at the TIME100 Summit in New York, joking that he’s fed up of people telling him that a dramatic finale would make good material for the Welcome to Wrexham docuseries. He also humorously bemoaned Wrexham’s habit of taking the difficult route to success, making it clear his heart is firmly with the fans and the team.
“Oh my God! I literally have an eight inch ulcer in my stomach right now,” the Canadian superstar said. “It’s the end of the season, and it all comes down to the next two weeks. They just can’t do it easily. For just one year, let’s do it without having receding hairlines all around.
“We’re all losing it and the stress is killing us all. Everyone keeps saying that [it makes for better TV] but that’s not a consolation at all – winning is.”
Reynolds and McElhenney are both expected to be present for the match on Saturday. Charlton manager Nathan Jones has stirred up some pre-game drama by likening Wrexham to “a circus” amidst the Tinseltown glamour surrounding the club.
Despite some negative sentiments from competitors in the UK, Wrexham’s fame in the States has skyrocketed, thanks to the hit documentary charting the owners’ journey. Reynolds praised football’s power to unite during times of worldwide strife.
“Everybody feeling the same thing at the same time at the same moment is a very bonding experience and Wrexham is no different,” he said. “You’ve got two different disparate political parties and it’s very divided.
“Everybody goes in there [the stadium] on that day and suddenly they all have their arms around each other. They’re wearing the same colour shirt, and they’re chanting and singing the same songs. I just think it’s a beautiful thing that is a little undervalued.”
Reynolds believes the documentary’s appeal lies in the relatability of Wrexham as a community. He highlighted the need to honour the town’s heritage and not overemphasise the celebrity aspect of the club’s narrative.
He said: “With Wrexham, there’s a docuseries because it resonates for people and there’s a Wrexham in every country. There’s a Wrexham in almost every state in the union, and even the state up north, Canada.
“I love stories that connect with people on that level. Rob comes from a working class family and I come from a working class family. You understand that when industry dies or leaves in that post-Thatcherism era, it creates a real depression.
“Why it works so well is because the football club and the community, they’re one. It’s the third oldest football club on earth, it plays in the oldest international stadium and it’s like a church. There’s hundreds, maybe thousands of people’s ashes scattered on the pitch.”
He added: “I treat it like a church, and I respect it. We really aren’t pulling them into our story – we just wanted to be a part of theirs. That’s why, if you watch the show, we’re only there if we need to explain something.”
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