The One Note Madonna Gave To Marvel For Deadpool & Wolverine

It's hard to imagine "Deadpool & Wolverine" star Ryan Reynolds at a loss for words, but the actor was apparently pretty starstruck when he met the Queen of Pop, Madonna. In an interview with Radio Andy on SiriusXM, Reynolds and "Deadpool & Wolverine" director Shawn Levy shared their experience consulting with the music legend, and she had a bit of really sound advice for the duo. 

Madonna is extremely picky about licensing her music, and she's especially particular about the song "Like a Prayer," which was used in the big climax of "Deadpool & Wolverine" and its final trailer, to great effect. In order to convince the woman behind such hits as "Vogue," "Lucky Star," and "Frozen" to let them use one of her greatest (and most controversial) songs, Levy and Reynolds had to meet with her in person. They were pretty nervous when they showed her the scene "Like a Prayer" would play during, but thankfully she only had a bit of constructive criticism to help the guys make the scene even better. 

Reynolds said that getting to meet Madonna was "one of the great thrills" of his life, which is understandable given her international superstar status. She's not only the best-selling female recording artist of all time, but she's also a Golden Globe winner for her starring role in "Evita" and she's a director in her own right, with the films "Filth and Wisdom" and "W.E." under her belt. They had a pretty big task in asking her to use "Like a Prayer," however, as the song and its music video nearly derailed her career when it was released in 1989. She had signed a massive $5 million commercial deal with Pepsi, and the soda company was set to sponsor her next tour, but the "Like a Prayer" music video (directed by "Pet Sematary" helmer Mary Lambert) proved much too controversial. The video tackled unfair police profiling, institutionalized racism, and Catholic guilt, combining religious imagery with sexual imagery that not only got Madonna dropped from her Pepsi contract, but also (allegedly) excommunicated by the Pope. 

To convince her to let them use the song, Levy and Reynolds showed her the scene, and Reynolds said that she had some very specific thoughts:

"And she gave a great note. My God, she watched it and, I'm not kidding, she was like, 'You need to do this, this, and this in this moment.' And d*** it, if she wasn't like spot-on and right."

While neither of them elaborated on what the note was exactly, Levy explained that they "went into a new recording session within 48 hours" to make the adjustments she pointed out. Separately, however, "Deadpool & Wolverine" composer Rob Simonsen clarified to Variety, "She wanted the gospel choir to be featured. And this was something [...] In the end, it was a milieu of different choirs to get this kind of classical choir sound and the gospel choir sound."

The "Like a Prayer" scene was one of the first ones the "Deadpool and Wolverine" team had in mind, though it went through quite a few changes, including taking out a moment that killed off a beloved Marvel character and changing the enemies up a bit to make them less disgusting. So making a change suggested by Madonna, who just agreed to let them use her song, wasn't too big of a deal. Simonsen added that the film needed "the legitimacy" of a gospel choir, noting: 

"That's what's in the original song. That's the sprit of the song. It makes sense. It's got religious tones to it, and when we had those singers in, we gave them a chance to kind of improvise and just sing out away from the notes on the page, and some of those moments are the goosebumps moments in the film in that sequence."

Madonna has been involved in the movies for decades as a musician, actor, and director, so it makes sense that she would have some good ideas. There was one person who helped Levy and Reynolds secure her approval, however: her son. She told the duo that her son is a "big 'Deadpool' fan" and that it gave them an advantage. Famous parents make some pretty grand gestures for their kids like Frank Langella guest-starring on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" to impress his children, but allowing two of Hollywood's biggest jokesters to use her most controversial song makes Madonna one extra-cool mom.