Hugh Jackman delighted fans when footage emerged of him introducing friend Ryan Reynolds to a time-honoured Australian tradition, the shoey. But on closer inspection, all was not quite as it seemed. The 57-year-old actor appeared to have taken a considerably more hygienic shortcut than the real thing.The duo were celebrating a win by the Bonds Flying Roos team, which they part-own, in the SailGP competition, when Reynolds posted footage of Jackman introducing him to the ritual.
Why fans called out the ‘fake’ shoey
In a second image from the celebrations, Jackman and Reynolds posed with what appeared to be a standard high top Converse shoe being used as a drinking vessel. But look closer and the details told a different story. The shoe was notably small, and its sole featured a design from their film ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’, leading fans to conclude it was simply a prop.As it turned out, the shoe was in fact a ceramic cup shaped like a sneaker, which fans were quick to point out disqualified it from shoey status entirely.“Looks like a shoe shaped cup. Definitely not one of their dirty shoes. That’s Un-Australian,” one eagle-eyed person noted. “It’s not a shoey unless it’s your own shoe straight off your foot,” said another, while a third joked, “A very ‘Hollywood’ shoey.”
What happened during the celebrations
Despite the questionable vessel, the spirit of the celebration appeared genuine enough. Jackman downed his drink and pumped his fist in the air in victory before handing the shoe to Reynolds. The Canadian duly necked the beer as Jackman cheered, before falling to his knees after a celebratory hug.Real shoey or not, the stunt drew significant attention to Jackman and Reynolds’ support for the Bonds Flying Roos, which took an even greater step forward last month. The longtime friends announced their involvement in an upcoming series about the sailing team, drawing comparisons to Reynolds’ own ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ series and the popular Formula 1 documentary series.