{"id":53190,"date":"2022-08-22T21:32:03","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T21:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/from-hollywood-to-wrexham-new-doc-reveals-ryan-reynolds-and-rob-mcelhenneys-takeover-of-welsh-club\/"},"modified":"2022-08-22T21:32:03","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T21:32:03","slug":"from-hollywood-to-wrexham-new-doc-reveals-ryan-reynolds-and-rob-mcelhenneys-takeover-of-welsh-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/from-hollywood-to-wrexham-new-doc-reveals-ryan-reynolds-and-rob-mcelhenneys-takeover-of-welsh-club\/","title":{"rendered":"From Hollywood to Wrexham: New doc reveals Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s takeover of Welsh club"},"content":{"rendered":"
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‘There is a version of the story where we are the villains,’ Rob McElhenney says, accompanied by a nervous laugh. ‘Where it doesn’t work and then we we have to sell it and we’re the bad guys\u2026’<\/p>\n

The ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ co-creator is sharing a brief moment of silence with fellow actor and Wrexham AFC co-owner Ryan Reynolds at the club’s empty Racecourse ground towards the abandoned Kop. It is one of a number of intimate moments between the two that are being shared for the first time this week as part of a behind-the-scenes documentary.<\/p>\n

‘F*** that,’ Reynolds retorts, ‘it’s going to work.’<\/p>\n

Two years in the making, the fly-on-the-wall documentary by the Hollywood pair, entitled ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, is released this week, charting their first steps as owners of a fifth division non-league football team.<\/p>\n

The final product is much closer to that of ‘Sunderland ‘Til I Die’ – the documentary that captured McElhenney’s heart and imagination during the Covid-19 pandemic and propelled him to buying a team of his own – than the more recent ‘Arsenal: All or Nothing’ series by Amazon.<\/p>\n

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Actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds recently bought a Welsh club, Wrexham AFC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This is as much the Rob and Ryan Show as it is holding a mirror up to the community of Wrexham and the people that have navigated the ups and downs of life in North Wales. But given the mission statement has been to turn Wrexham into a ‘global force’ it is they that will bring the eyeballs to a team in Wales.<\/p>\n

There are 4am alarms to wake up and watch the matches, there are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches eaten as they discuss transfer targets in McElhenney’s kitchen and there are many a late-night phone call between the actors asking just how on earth they drew away at Southend last season?<\/p>\n

But they have also worked hard to capture the size of the task ahead of them and why Wrexham, of all places, is a city in desperate need of a break; in their words, a true ‘underdog’ story. The antithesis of landscape shots of the takeaways on Brook Street in Wrexham to the Hollywood hills in Los Angeles reinforces the unlikely marriage that has since come to pass.<\/p>\n

Consistently, without fail, both actors are asked ‘why Wrexham?’<\/p>\n

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\"Rob <\/div>\n

Rob McElhenney (left) and Ryan Reynolds (right) are pictured at Wrexham’s home stadium<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Ryan <\/div>\n

Ryan Reynolds cheers for Wrexham AFC, with Blake Lively, David Beckham and Will Ferrell<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Supporters <\/div>\n

Supporters of Wrexham Association Football Club stand in front of a banner making reference to their North American owners during a National League fixture football match against Maidenhead United at the Racecourse Ground stadium, in Wrexham, Wales, on January 29<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

While there is no connection directly for either, one scene in the opening episode begins to explain how the love affair was born, particularly on the side of McElhenney.<\/p>\n

He is seen back at the old family home in Philadelphia with his dad, Bob, and one of his sons, Leo, and as he stands there in a back bedroom, beaming smile as he reminisces about his family’s heritage, right there is his answer as to why Wrexham stole his heart.<\/p>\n

‘Even though I’ve never been there,’ he says, ‘the town reminds me of Philadelphia. It’s a working class town, blue collar, a town that has had its ups and downs.<\/p>\n

‘I feel like I know those people, I grew up with those people, I am one of those people.’<\/p>\n

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\"Wrexham <\/div>\n

Wrexham fans sing the Welsh National Anthem before a game in May against Bromley<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Whatever cynics make of their motivations for purchasing Wrexham from its own supporters, it is hard not to be caught up in the bromance that plays out between McElhenney and Reynolds who, it must be added, jumped in with both feet before ever meeting each other in person<\/p>\n\n

Viewers get to see behind the curtain of their ample FaceTime calls and episode one, entitled ‘Dream’, really is laying the foundations and the romanticism that comes with the story they hope millions will buy into.<\/p>\n

It should not be mistaken that this is a documentary targeted at a North American audience. Much of the opening episodes prove to be something of an education on Wrexham, the town, the English football pyramid and exactly how promotion and relegation works.<\/p>\n

There are translations of keywords when some Wrexham fans speak – ‘chocker’, ‘nil’ and ‘quid’ all become ‘packed’, ‘zero’ and ‘buck’ through fancy English to American graphics – and the scene setter dictates that Wrexham’s struggles as a town also get highlighted.<\/p>\n

Imagine, we are told, the New York Yankees falling so low they end up playing in the Ithaca Beer League. For baseball fans in the Big Apple it would be a scarcely believable demise.<\/p>\n

In the first two episodes, which are released in both the UK and US on Thursday this week, Reynolds and McElhenney go behind the curtain to show their nerves at pitching their takeover bid over Zoom to the Wrexham Supporters’ Trust and then the struggles of tracking a must-win game away to Dagenham and Redbridge to get into the end-of-season play-offs.<\/p>\n

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\"Wrexham's <\/div>\n

Wrexham’s training ground is a bit less opulent than other clubs’ around Britain<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Zoom call is key to the entire project and the story as without 75 per cent of WST members voting in favor of selling the club, the documentary would have been stopped in its tracks before the wheels even started turning.<\/p>\n

Reynolds, checking his armpits for sweat as he balances his laptop on a cardboard box, even holds a pre-Zoom chat over FaceTime with McElhenney to get themselves prepped for the crucial hour-long conversation.<\/p>\n

‘We’re not some shady businessmen that if this goes south we can lurk into the shadows and pretend it never happened,’ McElhenney says.<\/p>\n

‘Yeah\u2026 people know where to find us,’ adds Reynolds.<\/p>\n

And the show is littered with witty remarks such as that and the light-hearted nature of the pair’s relationship streams through in the early episodes.<\/p>\n

While Reynolds and McElhenney, who for the first time in a make-up chair in Los Angeles before filming a promotional video about their successful takeover of Wrexham in episode two, are happy to joke and entertain, this is not one big laugh at the expense of the team back in Wales.<\/p>\n

The opening episodes show the ruthless nature of lower-league football and a failed promotion – having drawn 1-1 at Dagenham – brings a change of manager with 10 players following disposed coach Dean Keates out of the door.<\/p>\n

By this point Fleur Robinson has been brought in as CEO and Shaun Harvey has been introduced as an advisor to the board, both to help the actors navigate the potential pitfalls that come with owning a team in English football. TikTok and Expedia come in as sponsors and revenue streams spring up almost overnight.<\/p>\n

Unlike the big star players of the NBA or NFL, viewers quickly learn that Wrexham’s players are everyday guys, earning in the region of \u00a339,000-a-year in salary.<\/p>\n

Winger Paul Rutherford, who is a focus in episode two, discusses his staircase renovation, goalkeeper Rob Lainton is seen interviewed as he chips away at his building site of a bathroom and one scene also shows the ‘player house’, where squad members who live away from Wrexham stay during the week, chat about taxation and their wages.<\/p>\n

‘National Insurance and PAYE needs to f*** off,’ as one player abruptly puts it.<\/p>\n

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\"Ollie <\/div>\n

Ollie Palmer of Wrexham celebrates after scoring their side’s first goal with Paul Mullin during the Vanarama National League match between Wrexham and Stockport County<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The sharp contrast comes scene to scene, almost, with Reynolds and McElhenney over in LA for the opening five episodes, with their involvement restricted to Zoom calls.<\/p>\n

So gripped do they become that one striking scene shows McElhenney holding a 90-minute pow-wow over the phone in an LA studio parking lot to convince manager Phil Parkinson – their No 1 candidate from more than 100 applications – to come and join the team and be their new coach.<\/p>\n

‘Rob went after him like a dog with a bone,’ jokes Reynolds.<\/p>\n

As excited as they get at bringing in Parkinson, and then splashing the cash to land the top scorer from the league above in Paul Mullin, the documentary sheds light on the more difficult discussions and problems they run into owning a team. It has not all been plain sailing.<\/p>\n

Having re-laid the pitch before the new season, the grass ‘failed’ and head groundsman Paul Chaloner ‘wants to cry’ because of it. It cost them \u00a3100,000, only to not work.<\/p>\n

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\"Wrex <\/div>\n

Wrex the Dragon, the official team mascot of Wrexham Association Football Club, reacts during the National League fixture football match against Maidenhead United<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Humphrey Ker, a writer on McElhenney’s hit show ‘Mythic Quest’, has been the man-on-the-ground for the two owners and he explains in McElhenney’s kitchen how it will cost them ‘a lot more’ to fix the problem. It goes on to require a further \u00a3200,000 ($236,295) to sort the pitch out.<\/p>\n

And all the while the team draws or loses. Defeat at Stockport and at Grimsby bring significant pressure and they find themselves 12 points off first place, the only guaranteed position for promotion to the next division.<\/p>\n

Their visit to the town, watching at Wembley with David Beckham and another play-off run is all to come but in pitching to put Wrexham on the map, as a start this is mission accomplished.<\/p>\n

‘I’ve only been owner of a football club for a short time but I’ve found it to be time-consuming, emotionally exhausting, financially idiotic and utterly addictive,’ Reynolds says with some melancholic piano played over the top.<\/p>\n

Sounds about right.<\/p>\n

Welcome to Wrexham will premiere on Disney+ on Thursday August 25 in the UK, and on FX and Hulu in the USA<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘There is a version of the story where we are the villains,’ Rob McElhenney says, accompanied by a nervous laugh. ‘Where it doesn’t work and then we we have to sell it and we’re the bad guys\u2026’ The ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ co-creator is sharing a brief moment of silence with fellow actor and …<\/p>\n

From Hollywood to Wrexham: New doc reveals Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s takeover of Welsh club<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[71,3777,850],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":57639,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/documentary-shows-buzzing-excitement-in-wrexham-after-a-listers-reynolds-and-mcelhenney-bought-club\/","url_meta":{"origin":53190,"position":0},"title":"Documentary shows buzzing excitement in Wrexham after A-listers Reynolds and McElhenney bought club","date":"August 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Wales' newest city is buzzing with hopes of a revival after Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought their football club last year - putting Wrexham and its once struggling club firmly back in the spotlight.Wrexham AFC has never enjoyed such fame since Mickey Thomas's famous goal in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"Owners Reynolds and McElhenney have set their sights on transforming the football club - but may also be inadvertently improving conditions in the market town","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2022\/08\/25\/17\/61717639-11146005-image-a-5_1661443522192.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":60365,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wrexham-co-owner-ryan-reynolds-slams-the-national-leagues-baffling-decision\/","url_meta":{"origin":53190,"position":1},"title":"Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds slams the National League’s ‘BAFFLING’ decision","date":"August 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds has slammed the National League's recent decision to ignore an international streaming proposal.The fifth-division side first put forward plans to start a global streaming service in April 2021, two months after Reynolds took charge of the club alongside fellow actor Rob McElhenney.And now, the Hollywood star\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds slammed the National League's recent decision online","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2022\/08\/29\/23\/61848453-11158361-image-m-6_1661812062619.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":50347,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/fun-fx-documents-on-a-welsh-football-club\/","url_meta":{"origin":53190,"position":2},"title":"Fun FX documents on a Welsh football club","date":"August 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Welcome To Wrexhamphoto: Patrick McElhenney\/FXIn November 2020, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia creator and star Rob McElhenney formed a company with Ryan Reynolds and bought a small professional football club in the UK (We'll give those of you who hadn't heard about it time to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"Anker 335 Power Bank","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_180,q_80,w_320\/723a0f1dc10ae57a4d210644b2483e1b.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":58723,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/what-to-know-about-welcome-to-wrexham\/","url_meta":{"origin":53190,"position":3},"title":"What to Know About Welcome to Wrexham","date":"August 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Photo: Patrick McElhenney\/FX The new FX series Welcome to Wrexham is a strange little bundle of bafflements. Its half-hour episodes go down smooth but can leave you feeling unsure how to process what you just saw. The first half of its eight-episode run is the expository equivalent of engine-revving, followed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42622,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ryan-reynolds-reveals-how-he-broke-this-pricey-piece-of-bad-news-to-blake-lively\/","url_meta":{"origin":53190,"position":4},"title":"Ryan Reynolds Reveals How He Broke This Pricey Piece Of ‘Bad News’ To Blake Lively","date":"August 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Ryan Reynolds put his marriage to the test with his latest acquisition. The \u201cDeadpool\u201d star revealed on \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d Tuesday that he found himself in hot water with wife Blake Lively, shortly after direct messaging \u201cIt's Always Sunny in Philadelphia\u201d actor Rob McElhenney and making an unexpectedly large purchase.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"Reynolds and McElhenney pictured at the Vanarama National League play-off semi final match between Wrexham and Grimsby Town at Racecourse Ground on May 28 in Wrexham, Wales. ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/62f53a0f230000570047b5c6.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":56925,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/blake-lively-poses-in-white-hot-bikini-tags-ryan-reynolds\/","url_meta":{"origin":53190,"position":5},"title":"Blake Lively poses in white-hot bikini, tags Ryan Reynolds","date":"August 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Blake Lively looks beautiful in her birthday (swim) suit. The \u201cGossip Girl\u201d star posted a rare bikini photo on Instagram Wednesday ahead of her 35th birthday \u2014 and made sure to tag husband Ryan Reynolds in the sizzling shot. \u201cSummer lovin' \u2026had me a blast,\u201d she captioned the sunny snap,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Entertainment"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2022\/08\/22\/16\/61611013-11134455-image-a-32_1661182840147.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53190"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53190\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}