'The fans own this film'

"I don't think it's a back-handed compliment, it sounds like a compliment," says the 39-year-old, grinning. "I love Deadpool. I mean yes, he's a little vulgar and he's got some issues, but don't we all?"

The character made an appearance in 2009's somewhat disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine, alongside Hugh Jackman's hirsute superhero, and Reynolds has been enjoying poking fun at his Australian co-star on and off screen, including the fact they're both recipients of People's Sexiest Man Alive accolade.

"Hugh's a true legend, but the movie, that was a career low for me," he's said.

This movie, however, is undeniably Reynolds' passion project and the culmination of 11 years of blood, sweat and tears.

"It's been a long, long haul," admits the Canadian star, who started his career in television series Fifteen back in 1991, making his film breakthrough in 2002 comedy Van Wilder: Party Liaison.

"I think they were forced to make the movie, in a weird way, by the fans. So the fans own this film. They overwhelmed the studio with requests to see a Deadpool movie, so the studio just went, 'Go, make your Deadpool movie. We will see you when you're done. We'll leave you alone, just go make it'," he explains. "It was great to have carte blanche to make the movie we wanted."

It tells the story of Wade Wilson, a former Special Forces operative-turned-mercenary (hence the 'Merc with a Mouth' tag), who, after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter-ego Deadpool.

Some of the film's funniest lines crop up when he and his mate Weasel (Silicon Valley's T.J. Miller) brainstorm what his moniker might be with no-holds-barred references to the head-to-toe scar tissue he's been left with.

Determined to reunite with the equally ballsy Vanessa, the love of his life, portrayed by Morena Baccarin, he first goes in search of the man responsible for nearly destroying him, the sadistic Ajax, played by rising British star Ed Skrein.

"In the comic book world, Deadpool is a man of our time, with the ability to spout just the right thing, in terms of a pop culture reference, at the worst possible moment," notes Reynolds. "That makes him interesting to me, and also makes him sort of limitless."

And from the violence to the swearing and the sex scenes, there's no holding back.

"I think the mission was to hit the gas and go as fast as we could until someone made us stop," admits Reynolds, laughing.

While it's more X-rated than X-Men audiences are used to, it's still part of that franchise, and some people in the industry are complaining that the sheer might of superhero movies is ruining the cinematic landscape.

"The franchise movies don't leave a lot of room for other films," concedes Reynolds, who's also starred in the horror Blade: Trinity, romcom The Proposal and action-thriller Safe House, as well as smaller movies like Buried, Adventureland and The Voices.

"I don't deal with the distribution of films and how difficult that is. I know it's a minefield and very challenging, but I still get to do lots of small movies - they exist and we get to make them. I just don't think they're going to be in the same venues as they always have."

He believes "television is actually the new venue" for smaller, independent movies.

"A lot of these companies, Amazon and Netflix, are snatching up feature films, it's actually kind of amazing and, I think, smart."

As co-producer on Deadpool as well, he worked closely with director Tim Miller and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, "staying as true to the character as possible".

"We really ran with the idea of Deadpool being aware he's a comic book anti-hero. It gave us the freedom to tell this story in a totally unorthodox way. We occupy a space that no other comic book movie has - or can."

It's why Deadpool can get away with constantly breaking the fourth wall, talking directly to the audience, sometimes derisively, but despite the sardonic wit and twisted sense of humour, he's so engaging that you can't help but be drawn in.

"Deadpool has this bright, optimistic outlook on life, even though his life is pretty sh*tty," explains Reynolds. "I mean, he's become horribly disfigured from the experiments that gave him his powers and he's more than a little insane."

Last year, the actor lost his father, who'd been battling Parkinson's disease for 20 years, and recently opened up about finding comfort in his work, saying he understands the idea of 'filtering pain through a prism of comedy' - something he's done with Deadpool.

He named his 14-month old daughter, with wife Blake Lively, James, in honour of his dad. And though he says nothing can prepare you for fatherhood, he can offer up these words of advice for new parents: "Buckle up! Now the real work begins."

:: Deadpool is released in cinemas on Wednesday, February 10