Why Toronto is a special place for 'Deadpool & Wolverine' star Hugh Jackman

Toronto has a special place in Hugh Jackman's heart.

During an exclusive interview with Etalk in front of dozens of fans gathered in the parking lot of 299 Queen Street West on Tuesday, the Australian actor shared that the city was where his Wolverine journey began.

"I'm going to tell you a true story. We came in this morning. And I was driving here down that freeway. What is that freeway? (Someone in the audience shouts, 'Gardiner') On the left, they've got flowers with words. I was looking at it, and I just remembered 1999 October coming here to audition in Toronto for the character of Wolverine, 25 years ago," Jackman said.

The actor, along with Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and Canadian director Shawn Levy, was in Toronto on Tuesday to promote their film Deadpool & Wolverine, which is set to hit theatres on Friday.

Reynolds, who plays Deadpool, shared his excitement for the film because he said it will be the first time the two characters enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"We also have two Canadian-born superheroes. That's kind of a wild thing, you know," he said. According to Marvel, Wolverine is from Alberta, while Deadpool is from an "unrevealed location" in Canada.

During the interview, Reynolds was also asked about his friendship with Jackman, describing their relationship as "two old ladies watching the sunset."

"The key thing with any friendship or partnership, this could be a friend or a spouse or anything, is rooting for the other person," the actor said.

He recalled first meeting the Australian actor during the filming of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2008 and saw how Jackman treated everybody on set with dignity, class and kindness.

"I remember at the end of my first day, he walked over to ask me how it went, and I didn't know him. He was a big star, I was playing a supporting role, and I said, 'I wish I could go back and shoot that scene over again. I didn't love it, but we're all good, we'll move on.' This guy fires up all the lights, tells everyone to get back in their wardrobe, get back on the set, and we shot it again, and that's what's in the movie," Reynolds said.

"I remember thinking, if I'm ever lucky enough to be in that guy's shoes, that's the kind of fella I'd love to be if I'm ever fortunate enough to have that. So that was my first impression of Jackman," he added before quipping, "It's downhill from there, but it's mostly up."

The Etalk special hosted by Tyrone Edwards will air on CTV on Wednesday evening and stream later on Crave.

Later in the evening, the trio attended the Canadian premiere of the movie at Scotiabank Theatre and met with fans, some of whom came as far as London, Ont. who had been waiting since this morning.

Speaking to CP24 on the red carpet, Reynolds said it was "essential" that the movie also got a Canadian premiere.

"Of course, we're coming to Canada. And it's my mothership, this movie and this character, and Canada is my other mothership, so there's no way we would have missed it," he said. Reynolds, one of the writers and producers of the movie, has portrayed the current iteration of Deadpool since 2016.

The actor called the story of Deadpool "one of the greatest loves of my life."

"Deadpool's always kind of character over spectacle, and character's the thing that I think you remember most," he said. "All the surprises in the movie are character-based." In a separate red carpet interview with CTV News Toronto, Reynolds said making the movie was a dream come true.

Meanwhile, Jackman praised his co-star, saying Reynolds has a great work ethic and is "generous" as a writer, producer, and actor in the film.

"You guys should be so proud of him, and I hope you're as proud of this movie as we are," Jackman said.

The Australian actor, who has played the mutant for more than two decades, is excited for fans to see him in Wolverine's iconic blue and yellow suit.

"I'm losing my mind. I can't believe for 24 years I didn't put on the yellow and blue," Jackman said, sharing that Reynolds informed him when he agreed to do the movie that Wolverine would don the yellow-and-blue costume.

"As soon as I put it on, it all made sense. And now I actually sleep with the costume."

Reynolds quipped that he told Jackman to steal the costume after the movie. "And I did," the Australian actor said.

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