The Stranger Things actor said Ryan Reynolds was “sweet” when he asked for career advice
David Harbour went to Ryan Reynolds for advice after his Hellboy reboot flopped at the box office.
In a recent interview with GQ Magazine, the Stranger Things actor called his Hellboy movie — a 2019 reboot of Guillermo del Toro’s film series that starred Ron Pearlman — “a very difficult experience,” because of his initial hopes about the film’s potential.
“I really like [Mike Mignola, Hellboy creator], I like that character,” Harbour told GQ. “And then immediately when it began, even when it was announced, I realized that people did not want that character reinvented. I was very naive and optimistic about what we were going to do.”
Harbour, 47, became involved with Hellboy after del Toro, who made 2004’s Hellboy and 2008’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army, passed on directing a third film in the series and actor Pearlman declined to participate without his involvement, according to Nerdist. Neil Marshall ultimately directed the reboot, which made $12 million in its opening weekend and grossed over just $55 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.
Harbour told GQ that he called Deadpool actor Reynolds the day Hellboy hit theaters once it became clear that the movie would not do well at the box office. Though Reynolds has found success with the Deadpool series, the 45-year-old has also experienced a big-budget comic book movie flop in his past. In 2011, Reynolds starred in Warner Bros.’ Green Lantern, which made just $116 million in its domestic run and $219 million globally off a $200 million budget.
“I know [Reynolds] a little bit,” Harbour told GQ. “I called him and I was like, ‘Hey man, I just need to know something. You know Green Lantern? Huge flop for you. What the f— is that like, because I think I’m going to hit that right now. Am I gonna be okay? Am I gonna survive this?'”
While GQ didn’t dive into the details of what advice Reynolds may have offered Harbour, the Free Guy actor was reportedly “sweet” about the situation.
In addition to Hellboy’s poor performance at the box office, the film was criticized by both critics and audiences; just 18% of Rotten Tomatoes-approved critics reported enjoying the film, and it holds only a 48% audience score based on more than 2,500 reviews on the site.
In 2019, Harbour said he felt Hellboy was “unfairly bludgeoned” by fans and critics as a result of people’s expectations toward comic book movies growing skewed by the hold Marvel Cinematic Universe films exerts over the genre.
“We did our best, but there’s so many voices that go into these things and they’re not always going to work,” Harbour said. “I did what I could do and I feel proud of what I did, but ultimately I’m not in control of a lot of those things.”
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