Ryan Reynolds was “horrified” to cut Rob McElhenney’s cameo from Deadpool & Wolverine, as his friend and co-owner of Wrexham Football Club flew all the way to London to make it happen. McElhenney filmed scenes for the Marvel blockbuster as a Time Variance Authority soldier, but they didn’t make it into the film. Reynolds wants the scenes to “hopefully live on in the digital extras.”

“When editing a movie, they say sometimes you have to kill off your favorites. And with a heavy heart (and major outside interference) I had to kill off a favorite with this cameo,” Reynolds wrote on Instagram, adding photos of McElhenney in character on set.

“The sequence didn’t work the way we originally designed it,” Reynolds explained. “Rob was the only reason it stayed in the edit so long, because even under a TVA mask and helmet, you can feel him glowing with a raw and almost infinite reservoir of talent, writerly wit and ‘I create successful TV shows’ attitude. Don’t even get me started on Wrexham. I wouldn’t know a love like Wrexham if it weren’t for Rob McElhenney.”

“Anyway, I loved making this movie, but it wasn’t without stress,” Reynolds continued. “There were a lot of expectations – and I’m pretty sure the best-written villain in film history is ‘Expectation.’ And when you’re doing stressful stuff, it’s good to have friends around. And while I’m mortified that he flew all the way to London for a cameo that wasn’t meant to be, I’m grateful that my friend was on set with me. When I see Rob, my heart rate slows down and my nervous system stops screaming at me. He’s there for people. And he’s there for me.”

While McElhenney didn’t make it into Deadpool & Wolverine, many other surprise appearances did, including Channing Tatum as Gambit, Wesley Snipes as Blade, Jennifer Garner as Elektra, and Chris Evans as Johnny Storm. These surprise appearances helped make Deadpool & Wolverine the highest-grossing R-rated film in history, grossing $1.15 billion and more.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is now in cinemas nationwide.