VIDEO 'Deadpool 2' star Reynolds serenades Korean audience
Ryan Reynolds unmasks himself after singing “Tomorrow” from the musical “Annie” on “King of Masked Singer.” / Screen capture from MBC
By Ko Dong-hwan
Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds made a surprise appearance on Korean TV entertainment show “
” Sunday, serenading the audience while hiding his identity until the end.
The Canadian actor, who stars in the action-comedy “Deadpool 2,” which opens in Korean theaters on Wednesday, sang “Tomorrow” from the musical “Annie.” He used the stage name “Unicorn,” which referred to his mask.
In the singing competition-slash-quiz show, masked stars sing and the audience must guess who they are based on the singers' voices and physiques. The tournament-base competition eliminates a contestant from each round based on votes. The star then reveals his/her identity.
Reynolds, a rare non-Korean contestant, sang while remaining almost still. All Korean celebrities on the panel facing the stage scratched their heads as they struggled to guess who Unicorn was ― except comedian Kim Gura, who noticed the actor's sneakers that he wore at Incheon International Airport when he arrived on May 3. The actor performed for the show the same day.
Ryan Reynolds sang while wearing a unicorn mask. / Screen capture from MBC
"You said it early, you knew it right away, you saw that these damn sneakers gave me away,” Reynolds told Kim after taking off his mask to the shock of the audience and the Korean celebrity panel, who obviously knew him well from film hits like “Deadpool,” “Deadpool: No Good Deed” and “The Hitman's Bodyguard.”
The upbeat star expressed discomfort when one Korean celebrity guessed him as the United States President Donald Trump.
Asked if he was nervous before the show, Reynolds said, “Yes, absolutely. I am wearing an adult diaper,” a comment that drew laughter.
He said he had not even told his wife, actress Blake Lively, about his latest musical effort to keep the risk of news of his appearance to a minimum.
“Thank you for having me. This is such a thrill. This is unbelievable honor for me,” Reynolds said. “You guys pushed me to my own limits. I thank you for that.”
On May 27, Australian actor Hugh Jackman uploaded a video of himself with Deadpool, who was singing “Tomorrow” on a bed. The video hints that Reynolds might have been practicing for “King of Masked Singer.”