‘Life’ puts actors on friendly terms

There’s a bromance brewing between actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds.

The Hollywood stars say they hit it off so well during the filming of their new sci-fi thriller, “Life,” that a friendship has blossomed. The movie, about a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station who find an alien life form from Mars, premiered Saturday at the South by Southwest festival in Austin.

The stars were mostly all jokes during rounds of press interviews before the film’s premier, answering most questions with a back-and-forth comedy shtick. But they turned serious when asked about the connection formed on set.

“You do these films and get to work with really amazing people, really talented people and you think, ‘Oh, I’m going to hang out with these people afterward and see them again,’ ” said Reynolds. “You don’t most of the time because you go on living your life. But with this guy, we’ve stayed friends. That’s a lucky thing. It doesn’t always happen.”

Some of the first signs of the newly-forged bond came earlier this week when Reynolds gave high praise to Gyllenhaal on “Good Morning America,” calling him one of the most interesting actors now working in Hollywood. Reynolds said Saturday that his co-star is “one the greatest actors of this generation.”

“I loved working with this guy,” he said. “I loved spending time with this guy. It’s not often you get this experience.”

Gyllenhaal was equally complimentary, saying Reynolds’ role last year as a foul-mouthed superhero in “Deadpool” is exactly what he strives for – a performance so authentic that it would be nearly impossible for another actor to duplicate.

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 7:22 PM with the headline "‘Life’ puts actors on friendly terms."