Wrexham striker Ollie Palmer has a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo alongside his soccer team’s co-owner Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine ahead.
Palmer, 32, played coy about his brief appearance before Deadpool 3 hit theaters on Friday, July 26, telling Us Weekly exclusively that there was “not a lot” he can say about the film’s bar scene.
“I would say Ryan’s [a] really creative guy. He’s a fantastic writer,” Palmer said while promoting his partnership with American Crew. “There’ll be some surprises in there, I’m sure — and mine might be a tiny one. If you blink on a certain surprise, you might miss me.”
The athlete continued: “It’s only a small thing, but it was good. It was obviously great to be around Ryan.”
When it comes to the possibility of taking on more acting gigs in the future, Palmer is fully on board.
“I’m really open [and] honest that I do enjoy being in front of the camera,” he told Us. “Some people don’t, some people hate it. Some people like it and don’t admit it. And some people do enjoy it, and I do enjoy it — and hate watching it. I hate watching myself, but I do actually enjoy it.”
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to speculate in April that Palmer had a small cameo in the third Deadpool film after Reynolds, 42, shared a trailer via Instagram. The video opened with Deadpool (Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) reuniting in a bar. Over Reynolds’ left shoulder was a tall figure, who many identified as Palmer.
🎬 A certain Ollie Palmer (background) appears in the latest trailer for #DeadpoolAndWolverine
The big man has even confirmed it on Ryan’s IG!
Kudos to @beardywxm for the eagle-eyed spot! pic.twitter.com/wN4LQJaloz
— Fearless In Devotion- WREXHAM AFC podcast (@fearlessidzine) April 22, 2024
“If you squint,” Palmer commented on the Instagram video at the time, appearing to confirm his cameo.
Reynolds, along with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney, bought Wrexham AFC in 2020 and have completely transformed the Welsh soccer team over the last four years. The team’s successes have been chronicled in the FX docuseries Welcome to Wrexham, which premiered in August 2022 and is gearing up for its fourth season.
Palmer told Us that Reynolds and McElhenney’s “humility” surprised him the most when first meeting the stars.
“They’ve been fantastic with me. They’ve been fantastic to my teammates, my family,” he added. “They’re really down-to-earth people.”
Palmer is married to wife Caitlin, with whom he shares two children, a daughter and son. He told Us how the kids have adjusted to their family’s newfound fame thanks to the FX show.
“My son’s quite used to it now. My son’s fine and understands it. My daughter sometimes gets a little bit funny about it,” he explained. “So, I always have to be cautious of them. And when I’m with my family, I like to be with my family.”
When he’s not busy with family time, Palmer is playing for Wrexham — and thankfully, men’s hair care brand American Crew helps him get ready both on and off the field.
“It’s genuinely a fantastic product, a product that I’ve actually enjoyed using before that we even decided to do the brand deal,” Palmer told Us. “It was just the case of just a perfect fit.”
Palmer shared that his favorite products include the Matte Clay styling product, 3-in-1 Ginger and Tea shampoo/conditioner/body wash and Beard Serum..
“Fantastic product, really easy to use,” he added. “I do different hairstyles with them every day and it takes seconds. If you’ve got a good head of hair and a good beard, American Crew, it is a no-brainer.”
Deadpool & Wolverine is in theaters now.
