Ryan Reynolds has addressed criticism about his inclusion in Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, where he's paired with Andrew Garfield, after a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) mocked Reynolds for his role as Deadpool compared to Garfield's more dramatic portrayal in the A24 film We Live in Time.

Firing back in a lengthy post, Reynolds responded by first praising Garfield's work with Florence Pugh in the film before defending comedy acting as an art form.

"Andrew's a genius," Reynolds replied. "He and Florence are magic together in, WE LIVE IN TIME. They're heartbreaking and charming and spend the entire film in a high-wire act of humanity and constraint."

He continued, "And yes I am Deadpool BUT I will take a second and speak up in defense of comedy. Dramatic work is difficult. And we're also meant to SEE it's difficult which is one of the reasons it feels visceral and effective. Comedy is also very difficult. But has an added dimension in that it's meant to look and feel effortless."

Reynolds added, "You intentionally hide the stitching and unstitching. I think both disciplines are beautiful. And both work beautifully together. Comedy and drama subsist on tension."

He concluded, "Both thrive when subverting expectation. Both thrive backstopped by real emotion. And both are deeply subjective. Your favourite comedy might be Anchorman. Mine might be Lars Von Trier's, Melancholia."

Several fans replied in concurrence under the post. "I really enjoy watching movies where there's an actor who has mastered the art of comedy and makes it look so easy," one wrote. "This is why i love comedy. It's a discipline that requires so much thinking, and yet it comes out as the total opposite," another added.

The new season of "Actors on Actors," featuring other celebrity pairings like Ariana Grande with Paul Mescal and Nicole Kidman with Zendaya, debuts on Dec. 9.

Reynolds' recent film Deadpool and Wolverine broke box office records, earning $1.3 billion globally and becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. Variety predicted Reynolds may earn a Golden Globe nomination for his comedic performance in the film.

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Ryan Reynolds, Andrew Garfield, Florence Pugh