The press conference was held ahead of the record-breaking film's DVD release. Reynolds gathered with the creative team behind the Fox movie, including producer Simon Kinberg, director Tim Miller and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. For that added Deadpool effect, the panel was moderated by hip-hop trio Salt 'n Pepa, whose song "Shoop" became the movie's official anthem.

"If you have ever been in the room with Ryan, you quickly discover that he is the funniest guy in the room,” said Reese. Co-writer Wernick added, “Our original screenplay was one page, and it just said 'RYAN AD LIB.'"

For Reynolds, Deadpool was a long time coming. He first played Wade Wilson's alter ego in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine — a characterization that received a lot of criticism from fans of the comic book.

"For me, it has been an 11-year journey," said Reynolds of the long-gestating project. "It felt like a shitty relationship. We would be at the altar and then the wedding would be off and on and off, and then finally we did it."

Both Reynolds and Miller praised Kinberg, the producer behind much of Fox's superhero fare, for acting as the bridge between the studio and the production. Miller said: "It was a lot of Simon saying [to Fox], 'I know what this looks like. I know it looks like a trainwreck, but it’s gonna be OK.' "

Reynolds noted that Kinberg isn't the only one to thank for getting the movie moved in production.

"Thank god for the Internet, and thank god for the fans. They pushed this movie over the hump," he earnestly explained. "The studio, god bless them, didn’t understand it and didn’t believe in it, but the fans let them know that if they made this movie in a authentic way that the Deadpool fans would respect and love it.”

After the prolonged will they-won't they with Fox, the whole filmmaking process proved to be an emotional one. "There will be a scene where I am punching everything and calling everyone a mother-f—er, and then Tim calls cut, and he is just weeping," said the actor, with Miller adding, "I am an easy cry." Reynolds also offered: "But when something didn't work, Tim wouldn't call 'Cut'! He just yells 'Wrong!' "

The production budget was in the $55 to $60 million range, small for a superhero flick. ("Tim is good at making one dollar look like 10," said Reynolds.) Deadpool proved to be a worthwhile risk: It is the highest grossing hard-R-rated movie of all time, making $132.7 million in its opening weekend alone.

After a reporter points out that the movie's current $754 million gross does not include Chinese box office, where the film was banned for its graphic violence, Reynolds says: “I have this joke: It is rated R in America and rated 'F— you' in China.”

With a sequel rumored to be in the works, Reynolds talked about what he hopes to see in the follow-up: "If we are lucky enough to get a sequel, Deadpool is going to fighting Salt n' Pepa."

He then offered an alternate storyline: “But I really do genuinely want to see a Deadpool/Han Solo team-up."