You don’t have to be a soccer fan to love “Welcome to Wrexham.”
The Emmy-winning FX series chronicles actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ownership of a floundering football club, in a seen-better-days Welsh town.
It covers the ups and downs as the team strives for promotion to higher leagues. But it also tackles topics like autism, gay parents, the insecurities of athletes, the financial burdens of sports franchises, the meaning of community, the importance of tradition, the fragility of life, and much more.
Through it all, the actor/owners have fun. On each other’s birthday, for example, Reynolds and McElhanney try to outdo each other with creative pranks.
Season 3 is currently airing. In episode 4, Reynolds (star of the very successful “Deadpool” franchise) plans a musical video tribute to McElhanney (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), keyed to his often-mispronounced last name.
As the video began, I though, “Cute!”
As it continued — with clever lyrics, a catchy melody and first-class choreography, filmed in bars, the Wrexham stadium and other sites — I realized, “Whoa! Ryan Reynolds really put a lot of time and effort into this.”
Then came the reveal: The song was written by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek.
I should have known.
They’re the songwriting duo responsible for (among others) “Dear Evan Hansen,” “The Greatest Showman” and “La La Land.”
And Justin Paul is a 2003 graduate of Staples High School.
Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, at the Golden Globe Awards. They’ve also won Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. (Photo/Paul Drinkwater NBC)
“06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” Including Wrexham.
So I asked Justin for the back story.
A couple of years ago, he said, he and Benj were working on “Spirited,” an Apple TV+ Christmas comedy starring Reynolds and Will Ferrell.
Justin and Benj were living in London. Reynolds invited them to Wembley Stadium, where Wrexham faced Bromley in the FA Trophy finals. The match would decide the winners of the tournament for clubs in levels 5-8 of the English National League system.
Yes, that’s pretty low. Playing at the most storied stadium in Britain was a Very Big Deal. (Spoiler alert: Wrexham lost, 1-0.)
“We had to sign a release to get into the owner’s box,” Justin recalls. “That was strange.”
Then he saw a film crew. He learned that Reynolds was working on a documentary about the club he owned.
“David Beckham was sitting next to Ryan in the box,” Justin says. “I have no idea what they were talking about, but it was pretty cool.”
Ryan Reynolds and David Beckham
Justin became a fan of the Wrexham team — and, once the series aired, of Reynolds’ show.
He and Reynolds stayed in touch. One day, Reynolds asked Justin for a favor. He wanted to create a music video, for McElhanney’s birthday.
“It was the most random assignment. But it was so much fun,” Justin says.
“This was right in the spirit of Ryan Reynolds: bringing people together under the umbrella of joy. It was poking fun of Rob, but also himself.”
From New York to Hollywood and Wrexham, Justin Paul has not forgotten his Westport roots. Last spring, he met with Staples Players — the group he once acted in — prior to their production of Pasek & Paul’s “James and the Giant Peach.” (Photo/Kerry Long)
Coming up with ideas for the song was fun too. “There was plenty of good, bad and inappropriate stuff,” Justin notes.
They included references to the Racecourse (Wrexham’s stadium, the oldest one in the world still hosting international matches) and The Turf (a pub that plays a prominent role in the documentary).
“It’s a love letter to the club — while making fun of Rob at the same time,” Justin says.
“And Ryan’s feelings come through too: ‘I paid a bunch of money to write a song and video to you, because I love you so much.’ He lives life with joy, humor and self-deprecation.”
There was a bonus for Justin and Benj: They cast many of their actor/dancer friends in the video.
Screenshot from the”McElhanney” video.
It was shot primarily in a New York bar, as well as Wrexham. (There’s a quick cameo of Justin playing piano, which I missed the first time around.)
“Ryan went way above and beyond for this video,” Justin says. “He knew how ridiculous it was. That’s who he is.”
Rob McElhanney was “very surprised” by the song and video, Justin adds.
Many of Justin and Benj’s projects take a long time, from conception to completion. “Dear Evan Hansen,” for example, made it to Broadway after 7 years — “and that’s relatively short.”
Working on the “McElhanney” song was “fun, down and dirty — and quick,” Justin says.
“We created it, shot it, then sent it out to the world in a really short time.”
Wrexham fans loved it.
And now they know how to pronounce “McElhanney.”
Click below, and you will too:
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