Long-time fans of Deadpool will know that the Merc With A Mouth has a strange - well, not THAT strange - obsession with Bea Arthur from The Golden Girls.

In fact, uber-fans will know that Deadpool named his multiverse-travelling spaceship after the sadly-deceased comedy legend. Sure enough, you couldn't have a Deadpool film without mentioning Bea Arthur somewhere along the way. However, the extraordinary lengths Ryan Reynolds went to in order to get her likeness on-screen is pretty astounding.

According to a recent interview with Daniel Saks, Arthur's son, Reynolds actually met with him in person and asked him for permission to have a subtle nod to her in the film. Reynolds even agreed to pay out $10,000 of his own money to an undisclosed charity for her likeness, which sealed it for Saks. What's odd, however, is that the two passed each other many moons ago.

"I was on Dharma & Greg on Stage 21 at Fox when Ryan was on Stage 20 doing Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place," said Saks. "He was always a nice guy, and the fact that it was him gave it more weight with me and my brother, Matthew. We thought, ‘Why not?’"

You're probably trying to place where exactly in the film did Bea Arthur feature? Pretty simple, actually, and right under your nose if you saw the film. That tank-top / vest Ryan Reynolds wears before he's mutated? Bea Arthur's face is on it.

Take a look.

You've got to respect the lengths Ryan Reynolds would go, even if it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to an obscure factoid from the comics.

Incredible stuff, and just one of the many reasons why Deadpool did so well.

 

Via THR