Two Hollywood actors joined forces and bought a football club in Wales in the fall of 2020.
In an exclusive Sweden interview with Sportbladet, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney talk about how National League team ownership has changed their lives.
Reynolds says that what struck me the most was how addicted I was to soccer.
In the fall of 2020, news came that Wales’ oldest football club, Wrexham AFC, would be bought by two Hollywood actors.
Ryan Reynoldsknown, among other things, against superheroes dead listAnd the “It’s always sunny in Philadelphia”Actor Rob McElhenney was purchased for the Classic Club the following spring.
Now their first experience of British club ownership has become a documentary series.
In the TV series “Welcome to Wrexham”which premieres on Disney+ in Sweden on September 28 this year, viewers can follow behind the scenes as the two stars venture into uncharted territory.
The question that has been asked in the series many times is “Why Wrexham?”
‘An ever-evolving question’
A question that also seems reasonable to start the conversation with when Sportbladet, as the only Swedish media channel, gets an interview with the duo regarding the premiere of the TV series.
Why Wrexham?
– Why not Rexham? We knew it was a club with a history that had the infrastructure with its past successes. Rob McElhenney says it’s a club that will allow us to bring in money and capital to help them become a club to be reckoned with again.
Ryan Reynolds fills in:
Why Wrexham is an ever-evolving question. For every match and for every moment. For all the ups and downs we’ve had with this club and this community, we’re getting more and more answers as to why. This is the beauty of storytelling. Venture into something unknown and scary that you are not used to. It’s a huge growth curve and I loved every second of it.
stop saying “football”
“I’m sure Wrexham was the perfect club for us to fall behind. Every day I became more convinced of it. More than the first day we got into this, and I was convinced until then.
Although both were interested in sports, they were primarily interested in sports in North America. In other words, football, or “football” as the Common Atlantic called it, became one of the new acquaintances of both.
Or “football”, as they now learned to call the sport.
– I’ve completely stopped saying “football”. When Rob last hosted “The Jimmy Kimmel Show” (where Reynolds was a guest), I think we avoided saying “football” once.
The only time I would say it is when I try to distinguish it from American football. Other than that, it’s strictly “football,” says McElhenney.
The third oldest club in the world
No matter what you choose to call the sport, it was anyway a mod and something entirely new for the analog duo.
The TV series follows the journey from taking over the club through Wrexham’s first full season in the National League under new ownership. The third oldest professional football club in the world is a far cry from the stature it once enjoyed.
What’s the hardest thing you didn’t expect to deal with?
– that anything can happen at all levels. In many sports, you can “cheat” in such a way that if you sign the right player, you have an advantage regardless of whether the team is running or not. In football, you can be the best team and still lose. Just because you made a simple mistake in the match. It was surprising and very frustrating to be honest,” McElhenney says.
“Will you be older than Paul Mullen?”
Having said that, they are still doing their part to sign players who will be able to deliver on the expectations and goals that the club has achieved. Among others, League Two top scorer Paul Mullen, who appeared in the series.
What is your dream of employment? If you can dream bigger than Paul Mullen.
– Will he be bigger than Paul Mullen? McElhenney says with a smile.
– Mullen, Elliot Lee, Olly Palmer, Aaron Hayden…we have some good names on our team. We are very happy with the team. And we did it in a sustainable way for the league. “We are not going out of the box, but we have created a sustainable infrastructure at the club for the long term,” says Reynolds.
“You took over my life”
Ryan Reynolds, one of the most famous actors in the world, is not really a name that anyone in any way associates with sports, but rather with action movies and superheroes. Above all, he was not in any way connected with football.
How much did you know about football before that?
– A little bit. What surprised me the most was how addicted I was to football. I am addicted to it. You changed my routine, you changed my life. I can suddenly sit at home and get stuck in a clip of the 20 best looking goals of all time. You have taken over my life.
