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Madonna made an appearance at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere at Lincoln Center in New York City on July 22, 2024, bringing her 11-year-old twins, Estere and Stella, with her. The Queen of Pop attended the premiere as she had given Ryan Reynolds the license to use her song Like a Prayer in the movie.
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Madonna posed for photos with Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and director Shawn Levy on the red carpet, along with her daughters. In a July 19 interview on SiriusXM, Ryan Reynolds explained that they personally visited the singer's house to get her permission to use her song, as she usually does not license her music.
"Let's preface it with the fact that they don't license — that Madonna doesn't just license the song, particularly that song. It was a big deal to ask for it and certainly a bigger deal to use it. We went over and met with her and sort of showed her how it was being used, and where, and why," Reynolds said.
The Deadpool star added that she permitted them to use the song after they showed her the premise of the scene where the track would be played. He noted that she even gave a note that the team took into consideration and utilized to improve the scene effectively.
Madonna released Like A Prayer in 1989
Like A Prayer is one of Madonna's most iconic songs, serving as the title track from her 1989 album. In an interview with The Times after the song's release, the singer described Like A Prayer as the story of a "passionate young girl" in love with God, adding:
"'Like a Prayer' is the song of a passionate young girl so in love with God that it is almost as though He were the male figure in her life. From around 8 to 12 years old, I had the same feelings. I really wanted to be a nun."
Like A Prayer was a commercial hit, debuting at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at No. 1 for three weeks straight. The music video accompanying the song was highly criticized at the time, with the Vatican condemning it for its religious allegory and imagery.
Madonna also added that she wanted to explore her Catholic guilt with the music video, saying:
"My own Catholicism is in constant upheaval. When I left home at 17 and went to New York, which is the city with the most sinners, I renounced the traditional meaning of Catholicism in terms of how I would live my life. But I never stopped feeling the guilt and shame that are ingrained in you if you are brought up Catholic."
The MV also dealt with racism, with the premise being a black man (played by Leon Robinson) was wrongfully accused of assaulting and murdering a white woman. Madonna witnesses the young woman's murder, which was done by a group of white men who threaten her to keep her silence.
The video depicts Madonna running to a church for safety, where a dream sequence follows, interspersed by scenes of the singer dancing in front of burning crosses, kissing a saint who resembles Robinson, and singing with a black church choir. She wakes up and rushes to the police station to tell the truth, and Robinson is released after her confession.
Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, is slated for release on July 26, 2024.
