Jake Gyllenhaal: 'Ryan Reynolds deserved an Oscar nod for Deadpool'

Jake Gyllenhaal has accused Oscar voters of overlooking Ryan Reynolds' performance in Deadpool.

The star, who was nominated for the coveted statue in 2005 for Brokeback Mountain, believes Ryan deserved recognition from the Academy and shared his feelings during a question and answer session following a screening of his film Nocturnal Animals on Tuesday (24Jan17).

"We talk about brilliant performances all the time, you know, the actors who tear themselves apart for their roles, which I’m a believer in," Jake told fans, "but then I look at Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool and I say, 'No one can do that but him'. That is truly, purely him.

"As an artist he struggled for several years to figure that out and it’s all there on the screen. And it’s brilliant."

Deadpool was a smash hit globally, and Jake was a big fan, particularly of the star's comic references to the his career choices and jokes about comic book films in general.

"Sure it’s a comic book movie and it’s made a lot of money, but that doesn’t subtract from Ryan’s extraordinary work," he added. "Because it’s him. I mean, let’s ask ourselves: What else do we want from people who create? Something that is truly them.”

The 36-year-old is set to appear alongside Ryan in the upcoming sci-fi drama Life, which was penned by Deadpool screenwriters Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.