Ryan Reynolds Keeps Spending His Own Money To Use A John Candy Prop In The Deadpool Films

In Tim Miller's 2016 hit "Deadpool," the title character (Ryan Reynolds) takes every available opportunity to break the fourth wall and riff on the tiredness of the superhero genre. 2016 was when superhero films were still riding high, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe was in full swing. Deadpool, a determined agent of chaos, jumps right into the middle of the fray just to start urinating on everyone. Reynolds had previously played Deadpool in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," a deeply loathed picture, and he mocked his own performance. 

Indeed, the bulk of the humor in "Deadpool" — when it isn't being delightfully filthy — is refreshingly self-aware. How daring that a takedown of superhero cinema should come from a studio-sanctioned film that is directly linked to the X-Men universe. And now that Disney owns the Fox library, it's connected to the MCU as well. Deadpool peed on everyone, and they asked for more. 

Indeed, some of the gags in "Deadpool" are fourth-wall-breaking jokes without the audience even realizing it. For example: Reynolds, a Canadian, frequently makes references to his home country, sometimes to compliment it, sometimes to lambaste it. And in what might be the film's most obscure reference, there is a scene wherein Deadpool, out of costume, can be seen reading a smutty book titled "The Canadian Mounted." This book, some sharp-eyed John Hughes fans might recognize, was the one read by John Candy's character, Del Griffith, from "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." Reynolds loves that movie and spoke about it after a screening of the documentary "John Candy: I Like Me" (via People Magazine). Specifically, the actor revealed that he put up his own cash to rent that exact same prop, just so he could include it in his "Deadpool" movies.

"Planes, Trains and Automobiles," for those unfamiliar, is a 1987 comedy film about Neal (Steve Martin), a bitter, angry businessman who's on a business trip in New York and aims to return to his home in Chicago in time for Thanksgiving dinner. While en route, he falls into the company of Del (Dandy), an affable, outgoing salesman. Neal hates Del right away, but he finds that they are forced to become travel companions after their flight is re-routed. It's a stressful comedy deeply beloved by many. And yes, there is a scene in the movie where Del, in the middle of a crowded airport, can be seen reading a copy of "The Canadian Mounted." 

Candy, also a Canadian, was a huge influence on Reynolds when he was young, and Reynolds watched "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" a lot in the 1980s. When it came time to make "Deadpool," Reynolds was actually inspired to include "The Mounted Canadian" as a cute, obscure reference for deep-cut Candy fans. The actor figured the book was still in a prop closet somewhere on the Paramount lot and assumed that he could borrow it for free. He was only correct about the first part. As Reynolds explained: 

"I called Paramount and said, 'Can I use the book, 'The Canadian Mounted,' that he's reading in 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles?” And I thought they'd just go, 'Of course!' [...] And they were like, 'Yeah, sure ... for $5,000.' [...] I went, 'Alright, back off. You can have $5,000. Okay.' I put my own salary back in [the budget], why stop now? So, I licensed the book."

A wise purchase indeed. 

"The Canadian Mounted" also appeared in "Deadpool 2," and it seems that Paramount hadn't grown any less stingy. Once again, Reynolds deducted $5,000 from his own salary to rent the prop from the studio. As he put it:

"Two years later, and we're doing 'Deadpool 2,' and I said, 'Okay, give me the book,' and they're like, 'Yeah, $5,000.'"

It may shock readers to learn that "The Canadian Mounted" was no mere gag prop invented for "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." Rather, it's an actual piece of pornography that was printed by a publishing company called Beeline Classics in 1981. This was discovered by enterprising Reddit users who had access to deep-cut pulp smut. The author published under the name of Michael Flowers, and some excerpts can be accessed online. The book is, as one might expect, long out of print — heck, Beeline Classics is now defunct — but one can purchase reproductions online. If one really wants to check out the whole catalogue of Beeline books, one can find the fruits of some very thorough research. (We can't find the missing footage for "The Magnificent Ambersons," but we know the publication history of "The Canadian Mounted.") There doesn't seem to be a copyright on the book, either, as it was possibly printed for a quick buck in fly-by-night fashion. The synopsis reads as follows: 

"Ann-Marie is sexually very free. Throughout the land of Canada, many men have had her — some are famous, some are shady, but they all admit, she's one very horny lady!"

It's like poetry. It's also possible that Reynolds was charged so much by Paramount because Candy had the only known copy of "The Canadian Mounted."