Ryan Reynolds Kept Forcing Dwayne Johnson to Break Character While Filming ‘Red Notice’: ‘I Was Bent Over Laughing so Hard at Him’

Red Notice is one of the hottest new movies on Netflix. The film, which features a star-studded cast including Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, and Gal Gadot, has garnered rave reviews from fans, with many loving the interactions between the cast.

As it turns out, the fun that the cast had wasn’t just for the cameras. In a series of interviews done in May 2020, when the movie was still in production, Jimmy Fallon chatted with both Reynolds and Johnson, getting both superstars to reveal that they broke character a lot because of the laughter that they just couldn’t hold back. 

What is ‘Red Notice’ about?

Red Notice debuted on Netflix in early November. The film, which stars Ryan Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ritu Arya, tells the story of an FBI agent, played by Johnson, who teams up with an infamous art thief, played by Reynolds, in order to catch a notorious criminal. The criminal, played by Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, manages to remain one step ahead of her pursuers at nearly every turn, leading to lots of dramatic action and even more laughs at the expense of Reynolds and Johnson.

Fans have been anticipating Red Notice for quite some time, primarily due to the superstar combination of actors. Johnson’s production team helped to launch the film, and for months ahead of its release, it was touted as the biggest Netflix film to date to ever launch on the streaming platform. 

What did Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson admit about laughing while filming ‘Red Notice’?

As much fun as viewers have been having watching Reynolds, Johnson, and Gadot interact onscreen, the actors themselves had just as much fun making the film. In a May 2020 interview with Fallon, Reynolds talked about filming the movie, revealing that for a time, production was shut down due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We probably would have made it (completed filming prior to being shut down) if we didn’t spend ninety percent of our time dicking around,” Reynolds joked. “I’ve known Dwayne for like 15 years so we tend to spend time trying to make each other laugh.”

Reynolds revealed that in order to make Johnson “break,” he just has to mock the former wrestler, speaking his own lines back to him faster. “He just like – he’s gone,” the actor said.

Fallon interviewed Johnson just one week after his chat with Reynolds and Johnson had similarly glowing things to say about Reynolds. “I like to think that I’m a professional and that I’m disciplined…but I’ve never laughed so hard,” Johnson said. “We had the best time…I was bent over laughing so hard at him.”

Johnson backed up Reynolds’ claims that he would take every opportunity to try to crack Johnson up, making odd sounds and speaking his lines in a funny way.

Ryan Reynolds recently opened up about his break from acting

Ultimately, of course, the cast was able to get the movie finished—much to the delight of fans. However, it might be a little while before viewers are able to catch Reynolds in another big movie. According to Screen Rant, Reynolds recently announced that he’s taking a “little sabbatical” from moviemaking in order to spend more time at home with his family. 

“I’m just trying to create a little bit more space for my family and time with them. You know, you don’t really get that time back … I’ll probably be away from film, or at least shooting films, till the end of the summer,” Reynolds shared. “It just provides me an opportunity to be home.”