Explained: Why Rob McElhenney asked Ryan Reynolds to co-own Wrexham – with 2:30am phone call putting surprising Hollywood partnership in place

Two Hollywood stars arrived at the Racecourse Ground in 2021 with few knowing what to expect from their surprising sporting venture. With limited knowledge of football between them, questions were asked of whether they had what it takes to be successful in the most demanding of businesses.

Any fears were quickly laid to rest, with Wrexham – who continue to star in their own award-winning documentary series – enjoying back-to-back promotions and a rapid rise up the EFL ladder. Reynolds and McElhenney have helped to make that possible, with there no doubting their commitment to the cause.

McElhenney has told Northern Public Radio of why he dragged Deadpool actor Reynolds along for the ride once the decision was taken to acquire a British club: “I thought of Ryan because we were friends. We had never met in person, but we were friends via text. And not only did I enjoy his work, I thought that we would vibe. I think we have a very similar world view. He has got a great reputation. I just think that he is an incredibly ethical person. I know that he is kind. And every interaction that we had via text was always super positive. And, of course, he's incredibly entrepreneurial, so I knew he would understand right away.”

McElhenney added on getting Reynolds on board: “I wrote Ryan an email at night. He lives on the East Coast and I was on the West Coast, and I wrote him an email that was very brief, but it was heart forward, not business forward. And I got a call from him, which he had never called me before, at 2:30 in the morning. And I missed it because I was, of course, asleep. But that means it was 5:30 his time. So once I saw that I had a missed call from him at 2:30 in the morning, I knew that he was in.”

Reynolds and McElhenney are now financially and emotionally invested in all things Wrexham. They are regular visitors to North Wales and have helped to raise the profile of not only the club, but the wider community that it serves.