SUPERHERO TO HIS KIDS, ANTIHERO TO THE WORLD
One would think that due to his super success, Ryan Reynolds would be walking around with that Hollywood glow; that exterior superiority that so many other actors of his stature have. Instead, he proves to be quite the opposite. Humble and kind, with smart jokes and a self-deprecating humor that seems to come from his self-proclaimed alter-ego, Deadpool. It seems that Reynolds and his match-made-in-Marvel-heaven are more alike than most people know. So how did this love affair begin?
It started in 2004, when he saw a Deadpool comic strip that he describes as his own “splitting image.” “Not to sound too esoteric,” he said, “but I really get this guy.” It was that immediate connection that drove his determination to get the sardonic character up on the big screen, but it wasn’t without difficulty. He received 47 rejection letters from studio executives before they finally approved the film. It was a battle that lasted 11 years, as executives didn’t see the appeal or potential that Reynolds did.
In between that time, while championing his Deadpool idea on all along, he worked on other films. He played Hannibal King, a fierce vampire hunter, in Blade: Trinity in 2004, and then starred in The Amityville Horror a year later. His movies didn’t necessarily break the box office, or reward him with any big wins, but he became popular in Hollywood; people began to like him for his personality and his flexibility across different genres. In 2009, he was finally able to secure a small win in his Deadpool battle; he played a version of the antihero in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. However, it didn’t work out as planned for Reynolds, who ended up having to adlib his lines in the movie due to a writer’s strike that took place while filming. This, compared with the fact that Deadpool’s suit and presentation didn’t match the comics accurately, caused many fans to be upset, including Ryan.
“[Deadpool] wound up being this abomination that was like Barakapool (Baraka is a character from Mortal Kombat), with his mouth sewn shut and weird blades that came out of his hands and these strange tattoos and stuff like that,” Reynolds explained, frustrated. It turns out that the movie team didn’t have enough time to create a proper suit, so the cheapened version took to the screen, leaving fans of the character disappointed. This caused Ryan to work even harder behind the scenes to get his dream project created, but he had to wait across several more movies before it would come true.
In 2009, he starred in the Rom/Com The Proposal alongside Sandra Bullock, which really allowed his comedic talents to show; this was clearly a genre that he excelled in, and crowds loved it. Next, he starred in a Drama/Action film, Buried, where he played an American in Iraq that gets buried alive and has to escape. A year later, he got to play a superhero once more, this time as Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern in the movie Green Lantern. The movie notoriously didn’t do great, but it did allow him to capture one swift win: actress Blake Lively. He had been married to Scarlett Johansson for three years, before they decided to split in 2011. Reynolds and Lively played love interests in the superhero film, and the romance didn’t dissipate when off camera. The two became close friends, and shortly married after dating less than a year in 2012. They became one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples, making their relationship public with their Instagram pictures, and teasing of each other on social media. Reynolds began the most important role of his life, as a father, in 2015, when the couple welcomed their first daughter, James. Ryan is very loved on social media (particularly Twitter) due to his sarcastic wisecracks about fatherhood; the Dad jokes are almost too much to handle.
“On our 6am walk, my daughter asked where the moon goes each morning. I let her know it’s in heaven, visiting daddy’s freedom,” Reynolds tweeted, prompting many laughs from his 11 million followers. All jokes aside, it’s obvious that Ryan adores being a husband and a father to his two children (Lively had second child, Ines, in 2016). His home is in upstate New York, far away from the paparazzi-ridden streets, where he spends tons of quality time with his family of four. To him, that’s everything he needs, and then some.
“[Being a dad is] the best thing that’s happened to me, and I don’t take a second of it for granted… I love watching my kids grow and evolve, and I hope that I get to do that for a huge amount of their lives. Until they kick me out,” he shared, throwing in a very characteristic joke at the end.
He started his second most important role in life in 2016, when he finally got the green-light for Deadpool. It was only after some test footage of the movie leaked online that he got the approval for it, when the executives noticed an overwhelming amount of support from fans. Ryan later said that the leak was definitely on purpose to illicit this response, although he won’t admit who had the guts to do it. “I know that one of us did it,” Reynolds admitted, “We all sort of said at the beginning, ‘Someone should leak it. Someone should leak it’…but I’m 70 percent sure it wasn’t me.”
After receiving the “okay” to start filming, there was another obstacle in the way: the budget. Deadpool was allowed a budget of $58 million, causing the directors and actors to get creative with props and plot lines. In two scenes, Deadpool “forgets” his ammo bag, but Reynolds says that that plot twist was added not because the character is “forgetful,” but because “we couldn’t afford the guns that we were about to use in the scene.” He didn’t let this discourage him as he dove head first into the project, occupying roles as the lead star, producer, script doctor, editor, and marketing executive.
When it finally released on February 12th, 2016, it was a giant hit. The movie raked in a total of $783 million worldwide, which is unheard of considering that the budget was a relatively small one. It broke the record as the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, and even landed two Golden Globe nominations. Deadpool was one of the most popular Halloween costumes that year, and Ryan went on to become one of GQ’s Men of the Year. Things were looking up for Reynolds, who had finally found a character he understood 100%, resulting in an honest and entertaining portrayal. In a sea of movies that were sometimes regarded as “flops,” Deadpool was his rescue boat…in more ways than one.
“I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety…both in the lighthearted ‘I’m anxious about this’ kind of thing, and I’ve [also] been to the depths of the darker end of the spectrum,” he disclosed.
It turns out that Ryan’s anxiety is something he’s dealt with all of his life, and fame has sometimes made it harder to handle. When preparing for interviews, he finds himself having nervous shakes, but he says a trick he’s been using lately is to complete interviews in character as Deadpool. “When the curtain opens, I turn on this knucklehead, and he kind of takes over and goes away again once I walk off set,” he revealed. This defense mechanism has proven to be his go-to, in addition to his self-deprecating remarks and witty banter with interviewers. He seems to be handling it pretty well, as his interviews were victories, driving the masses to see the movie even more, maybe more than one time over.
Following his predicted success with the superhero movie, he ventured on to star in Life alongside long-time friend Jake Gyllenhaal, in a space expedition to save planet Earth. He then tried his hand at Action/Thriller The Hitman’s Bodyguard, which reeled in many good reviews and had him lined up with costars like Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman. Deadpool 2 had been in the works immediately after the well-received first movie, and it released just last month on May 18th to just as much acclaim as the first. It reeled in an impressive $125 million its opening weekend, making it the second-best opening for an R-rated film, behind the first Deadpool movie. Snarky comebacks, tons of action scenes, and laughs are still a part of the movie’s charm, although in this film, there’s something a bit different. Its central theme seems to revolve around more personal values, making the movie even more relatable and addicting. “My family is everything to me, and that’s what brought about Deadpool 2,” Reynolds shared, “The idea of love and family is what’s in [the movie], even though I am still immature…!”
Ryan still has lots to keep him busy; not only is there an X-Force movie starring Deadpool secured for the future, but he also has other movies underway! Detective Pikachu will come out in 2019, The Croods 2 in 2020, and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard sometime afterwards. Not to mention, Ryan also has his hands full with his two daughters, making him the busiest dad, but forever giving him unlimited joke material. It seems that he’s the most content he’s ever been. With his beautiful family, his huge hit of a movie, and his ever-funny personality, how could he not be?
“[Back] then it felt like I was stringing moments of gigantic uncertainty back to back. Now I’m…a lot more understanding of myself. I have more compassion for myself – and for others. So I’m happy,” Reynolds said, as he revealed a sure smile.
By Selene Rivera