How a journalist got to tease Wrexham FC's star owners

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenneyGetty Images

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney - the unlikely new owners of Wrexham FC

It's not every day you get the chance to take the mickey out of not one but two Hollywood superstars to their faces.

That was the surprising task facing Welsh broadcaster Maxine Hughes when she unexpectedly landed a role, appearing to translate for the new celebrity owners of Wrexham FC, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Alongside becoming football club owners, the duo are making an access-all-areas documentary about their journey with the north Wales club, called Welcome to Wrexham.

They have made a short trailer - swearing and all - to promote the series, and that is where journalist and documentary maker Hughes - who now lives and works in the USA - came in.

"A few people were sending me a flyer that was asking for Welsh speakers in Hollywood- I thought it was a joke actually," she said.

"I called them initially because a friend of mine was interested in it.

"They said they were looking for a female for the role and said they were having trouble finding a Welsh speaker who was based in the US and has experience of acting and broadcasting… We spoke a bit more and they asked me to try out for the role."

Hughes, who previously worked for BBC News, flew out to Los Angeles from her home in Washington DC and landed the part.

Maxine Hughes works as a journalist and documentary maker

But she is not simply a voice on screen providing a word-for-word retelling in Welsh.

Hughes features in the video acting as a pretty disgruntled translator who makes her opinion clear of Deadpool star Reynolds and McElhenny, known for starring in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

She ignores what they say and then provides her own commentary on the pair in Welsh, as the subtitles reveal to the audience.

When the pair describe the premise of Welcome to Wrexham and talk a little about the town, Hughes deadpans: "The tall skinny one does movies, the muscular one sells cream cheese from Philadelphia, or something."

The video continues in this vein, as she comments: "There's no way these two can manage a football club."

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Wrexham's Racecourse ground is the world's oldest international stadium still in use

Hughes said in reality the pair were "wonderful and absolutely fantastic".

"They're really lovely people, very funny in real life," she said.

"They were amazing to work with - it was a rather different experience to me. A bit different to doing some news.

"Ryan was directing a bit for it while we were filming and we were trying out new things- at the end of the video it's actually us trying out some improv and having fun."

She said their commitment was "100% genuine", adding: "They really care passionately about Wrexham, about Wales, about the Welsh language too.

"They were really concerned that what we were doing was respectful to Welsh, that we were making fun of [the two actors] and not the Welsh language."

She revealed McElhenney was learning Welsh and was "really good".

"He sang the national anthem to me, he sang it perfectly," she said.

She said Covid had made it difficult for the club's new owners to travel to Wales so far.

"The production team has been in Wales already and I know there are some people there. They're planning to go there very soon," she said.

And is there any suggestion of future work for her on Welcome to Wrexham, which has been commissioned for two seasons by US-based channel FX Entertainment?

"I haven't discussed that yet," she laughed.

"I don't know about that."

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