The Wordless Running Joke Between Brad Pitt and Ryan Reynolds: “All He Wants Is a Cup of Coffee”

In Hollywood, where big-name friendships often lead to memorable on-screen collaborations, Brad Pitt and Ryan Reynolds have sparked a unique running gag—one that’s been quietly unfolding across multiple films with precisely zero spoken lines.

Ryan Reynolds, known for pulling in his A-list friends for surprise cameos, has included stars like Matt Damon and Hugh Jackman in his projects before. But it was director David Leitch who bridged the worlds of Reynolds and Pitt. Leitch, a former stunt double for Pitt, later transitioned to directing, co-helming John Wick before taking on projects like Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2.

It was on Deadpool 2 where this silent inside joke began. During the film’s notorious X-Force sequence—where the superhero team meets an untimely demise—the invisible character Vanisher makes his mark. Reynolds thought it would be hilarious to have Brad Pitt make a brief, almost invisible cameo. Pitt agreed, but with one quirky condition: instead of demanding his usual paycheck, all he wanted was a cup of coffee.

“I was told all he wants is a cup of coffee,” Reynolds told Entertainment Tonight. “And I said, ‘Like a franchise or just one individual cup of coffee?’ And I was told one individual cup of coffee, which was really his way of saying, ‘I’m doing it for nothing.’ And it was a total solid and the nicest thing anyone could do.”

The joke didn’t stop there. When Leitch directed the Pitt-led action comedy Bullet Train, Reynolds returned the favor with a silent cameo as Carver, the mysterious assassin, appearing in a single shot without saying a word.

Taking the gag even further, the joke reached a meta level in the family adventure IF, directed by John Krasinski and starring Reynolds. One of the imaginary creatures in the film—much like Vanisher—is invisible, doesn’t appear on screen, and never speaks. Yet Brad Pitt was humorously credited as the “voice” of the invisible character Keith, despite having no involvement in the film’s production.

This playful tradition between two Hollywood heavyweights showcases their offbeat friendship and their shared love for lighthearted fun in an industry often defined by big budgets and serious performances. For Pitt and Reynolds, it seems the best roles sometimes require no lines at all—just a cup of coffee.