A mum who answered a flyer asking for a Welsh translator got the shock of her life when she ended up starring in a global ad with Hollywood megastar Ryan Reynolds.
Maxine Hughes, 41, steals the show in a joke skit with the superstar in a promo for his upcoming documentary on buying Wrexham football club.
The Deadpool star bought the perennially under-achieving Conference side with pal Rob McElhenney back in March and promised to make them ‘a global force’ while discussing farm trailers in an announcement video that went viral.
And now they’ve launched their new show ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ with another comedy sketch that’s had over three million views already – thanks to a little help from poker-faced Maxine.
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(Image: screen grab)
“It was a nice surprise to learn what it was about because my grandad is from Wrexham and if there’s anything I can do to put North Wales on the map, then I’m up for that,” said the mum of two who answered a flyer then did a video call with the director.
“For me it’s such an important thing for the Welsh language to be heard.”
Maxine, originally from Conwy in North Wales, now lives in Washington DC and acts as the translator with Reynolds admitting “we need a little something for our Welsh fans.”
(Image: screen grab)
(Image: @VancityReynolds)
But Maxine goes a little off script saying in her native tongue that neither has a chance of running a football club, one wears a toupee and the other thinks Wales is in Scotland – all while they think she’s translating what they’re saying.
She got the seal of approval from another Hollywood star in Hugh Jackman for her dead-pan performance as he told her ‘I heart Maxine’ after her merciless ribbing of his tinsel town rival Reynolds.
But despite ridiculing the Hollywood stars, she said: “They were both absolutely fantastic.
(Image: screen grab)
(Image: screen grab)
“I could have asked for two nicer people to work with.
“They know so much about Wales and Rob in particular has been learning Welsh. He actually sang the Welsh national anthem to me while I was on set.
“And he was perfect. He got it spot on – and he’s actually a good singer.”
(Image: screen grab)
(Image: @VancityReynolds)
Reynolds and McElhenney have already endeared themselves to the North Wales town with donations to foodbanks, delivering gin to local pubs and paying to convert a disabled fan’s bathroom.
And Maxine believes they are in for the long haul and were careful not to ridicule the Welsh language – only themselves.
She added: “They were really passionate all the way through that what we were doing was going to come across well to Welsh speaking audience, because they want the language to be heard.
(Image: @VancityReynolds)
(Image: @VancityReynolds)
“For me it’s amazing that Hollywood actors are giving the language a platform.”
And while she hopes to do more on the docu-series – with Netflix understood to be interested in showing it in the UK – she believes it will be a success either way.
“I’m just doing the promo at the moment with Ryan and Rob but I’d love to do more,” she added.
“In fact I spoke to Rob this morning and he sent me a copy of the trailer before it went live.
“I think the series is going to be brilliant and I hope it puts Wrexham on the map.”
Maxine first moved to the US on a football scholarship when she was 18 and now lives in the capital with her wife and sons Iori, eight, and Manu, three.
And she admits even they’ve been hit by the Wrexham bug saying: “I’m ordering them both a shirt from the club shop tonight.”
