In Free Guy, Ryan Reynolds plays Guy, and Lil Rel Howery plays his best buddy, named, well, Buddy — two plain monikers that hint at their seemingly meaningless lives: they’re actually just background characters in a video game. 

However, that revelation only comes to Guy when he dons a pair of glasses that lets him see that he and Buddy’s everyday lives — as, respectively, a bank teller and a security guard — are just cannon fodder for gamers in the real world.

That world-changing revelation doesn’t change their friendship, however, which is cemented in a moving speech Buddy gives at the movie’s climax.

“…[I]t’s always weird when you do speeches like that, you’re kind of like emotionally tied to it,” Howery said with a laugh at a recent press event. “I remember shooting it with [director] Shawn [Levy] and them…and I had to take a walk. I wasn’t like gonna tear up in front of y’all, but I was like, ‘Wow, that’s what that was.'”

He adds, “Buddy has a couple of those moments and which is what I loved about the character, is that, you know, his innocence came with how comfortable he was with his friendship…and that’s what I loved about that.”

Reynolds adds, “Rel and, I just immediately, from the moment we met, kind of clicked. I was a huge fan of his,” Ryan says before adding self-deprecatingly, “and I think we can all say he was a huge fan of [co-star] Taika [Waititi].” 

He continues, “So it was great to get out there and mess around and play and sort of form that bond and put it up on the big screen.”

Free Guy is now in theaters from 20th Century Studios, which is owned by ABC News’ parent company, Disney.

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Selena Gomez took it upon herself to school her Only Murders in the Building co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short on pop culture, especially on Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion‘s smash hit single, “WAP.”

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the conversation came about when Short, 71, was raving about his “fabulous” young co-star.

“She was in the makeup chair…and right away I could tell within five minutes she was fabulous, funny, loose, and wanted the set to be the way we all ideally wanted,” he began. “And I think every time the three of us went back to our little holding area, and read the news from each other’s phones and laughed, and, you know, she tells Steve lyrics to ‘W.A.P.'”

His story was cut short by Gomez, 29, who chimed in with, “Why did you say W.A.P? It’s WAP.”

“Why can’t you say W.A.P?” Short asked his co-star, to which Martin, 76, replied, “Cause that’s not what they say.”

“That’s not what the kids say,” corrected Gomez.

To back up his younger co-star, Martin jokingly quipped, “That’s like calling the U.S.A., USA” — sounding out the letters like a word instead of saying each one individually.

The trio also confirmed that Gomez “certainly did” explain the meaning behind the summer smash — with Short quickly declaring that he had “known it for years.”

The interview proved just how much chemistry the three have, with the “Lose You to Love Me” singer laughing about the comedy legends, “As you can tell, I can barely keep a straight face.”

Only Murders in the Building premieres August 31 on Hulu.

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Hugh Jackman may not have had Wolverine’s signature adamantium claws in Lisa Joy‘s directorial debut, Reminiscence, but the actor admits that he did have to tap into something “broken” and primal when he took on the lead role of Nick Bannister, a private investigator of the mind, in the sci-fi thriller.

“I love the world of the film,” Jacks tells ABC Audio. “When Lisa told me about it, this idea that we’re in the near future, that feels very believable, where Miami is pretty much submerged, where it’s so hot that you have to live at night — not in the day. And playing a character like Nick that has literally been through the wars, probably suffering PTSD, like, at a high level, I found it challenging to play someone who on the surface is so closed off, but broken on the inside.”

Jackman then pauses for a moment to contemplate his character.

“Well, it sounds a bit like Wolverine in a way,” he laughs. “But it’s very different to who I am as a person, so I really enjoyed that journey.”

That journey, which Jackman also takes with co-stars Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton, can be described as a “wild ride” into the days of future past — a theme his X-Men character could surely relate to, if not offer his insight about. Jackman says it’s that familiar theme that makes the film worth watching.

“And then, for [Nick] to have these walls stripped away, to fall in love so deeply, so quickly, then to be taken on this wild ride where he’s wondering if any of it was real… When I read it — and I hope for audiences, and for me playing it — there was never a comfortable moment,” he notes.

Reminiscence is now available in theaters and on HBO Max.

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Just over a week after being announced as the new host of the syndicated version of Jeopardy!, Mike Richards is stepping down “effective immediately” amid resurfaced controversial remarks.

He announced his decision Friday in an internal note sent to Jeopardy! staff and obtained by ABC News.

“It pains me that these past incidents and comments have cast such a shadow on Jeopardy! as we look to start a new chapter,” Richards began.

“As I mentioned last week, I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role,” he continued. “However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show. As such, I will be stepping down as host effective immediately.”

Richards said Sony Pictures Entertainment, which produces the quiz show, “will now resume the search for a permanent syndicated host.”

He said guest hosts will be brought back in the meantime so production on the new season can continue, and that further details will be announced next week.

“I want to apologize to each of you for the unwanted attention that has come to Jeopardy! over the last few weeks and for the confusion and delays this is now causing,” Richards concluded the memo. “I know I have a lot of work to do to regain your trust and confidence.”

A spokesperson for Sony Pictures Television said the company supports Richards’ decision and was “surprised this week to learn of … the offensive language he used in the past” on a podcast he hosted from 2013 and 2014.

“We have spoken with him about our concerns and our expectations going forward,” the spokesperson added. “Mike has been with us for the last two years and has led the Jeopardy! team through the most challenging time the show has ever experienced. It is our hope that as [executive producer] he will continue to do so with professionalism and respect.”

Richards was announced as the successor for Alex Trebek, who died last November after a years-long battle with pancreatic cancer, on Aug. 11. The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik was simultaneously tapped to host for future “Jeopardy!” primetime specials and spinoffs.

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