
Celine Dion was a natural fit for the 'Deadpool 2' soundtrack: 'she has incredible comedic timing'
By Sarah Walker
Celine Dion and Ryan Reynolds essentially broke the internet when the award-winning singer and multi-talented filmmaker joined forces for the new Deadpool 2 theme song, a power ballad called "Ashes" that fans of either Canadian talent would never have expected. Despite that, it's the perfect partnership, and the director of both the film and the video, David Leitch, said that it goes beyond the fact that Celine's son is a fan of Ryan's sassy superhero, Deadpool.
WATCH: An A to Z guide to Canada's Queen of Pop, Celine Dion
"She has a son who’s a fan," the director told Entertainment Weekly. "But I think she was actually taken aback by the song as well. She’s a really sort of fun personality and a really beautiful person, and I think she understood what we were trying to do."
If Celine's powerhouse performance in the song's video is any indication, she was definitely feeling the lyrics. Standing on a stage back-lit with strobe lights clad in a beautiful blue dress with sweeping sleeves (yes, it gave us major Titanic vibes), the 50-year-old sings her heart out - even when Ryan, clad as Deadpool, does a seductive interpretive dance around her. Which accounts for the other reason she was perfect for the part: her sense of humour.
MORE: Ryan Reynolds reveals the "scariest hallway ever" on the Deadpool set
"It’s like, they’re two mega stars. Two icons. Obviously Celine is such a great sport and also [has] great ideas and actually incredible comedic timing," David said. "She’s an incredible performer in not just music, but also her stage show. She’s the real deal."
Celine and Ryan play off each other perfectly in the hilarious video
So how did the amazing video actually come to be? “I needed a song in the movie and I wanted a ballad that was thematic... And I was like, man, I really would love to find an artist to record this -- a contemporary artist who’s got the chops to make it super emotional," he explained. "I brought it to Ryan Reynolds and we started to riff on it. And he’s like, 'You know who we should get? We should approach Celine. She’s an incredible singer, she’s amazing, but she’s also someone who works in the sort of subversive Deadpool universe.'"
MORE: Ryan Reynolds bought a gin company and his Out of Office is hilarious