Dallas County Living Well Magazine May/June 2020 | Page 13

BELOW: Reynolds starring with Sondra Bullock in The Proposal (2009). Bullock acts as an overbearing book editor who forces Reynolds’ character to marry her to avoid being deported. AT RIGHT: Reynolds first met Blake Lively in early 2010 while filming Green Lantern together in 2011. They married in September 2012. “We were buddies then,” Reynolds explained to En- tertainment Weekly’s SiriusXM show. “I remember it was funny because for about a year after Green Lan- tern had come and gone and we were both single. We went on a double date. She was on a date with another guy and I was on a date with another girl.” It was that date where it became apparent Lively and Reynolds were meant for each other. “That was the most awkward date because we were just like fireworks coming across,” described Reynolds. “It was weird at first, but we were buddies for a long time. I think the best way to have a relationship is to start as friends.” wasn’t long before both pairs had broken up. “They’re the loveliest people, Ryan and Blake,” says actor Stanley Tucci, a former neighbor of the couple. “When we first met, we went over and I think we saw them practically every other day; for a week my kids were staying over at their house. They love cooking and their home life. They’re just two of the most generous people I’ve ever met.” Since marrying Lively, Reynolds invigorated his career and even took another crack at playing a superhero. In 2016, he approached the Marvel character Dead- pool from a comedic perspective. The film went on to become a runaway success. Drawing upon his comedic chops, he reprised the role in Deadpool 2. That film and its predecessor catapulted Reynolds into the Hol- lywood stratosphere. The second film generated $784 million at the worldwide box office to become the high- est-grossing X-Men movie, it also served as the ideal role to finally channel and express his struggles with the paralyzing anxiety he’s felt throughout his life. It was during the press junket for Deadpool 2 that Reynolds shared with fans his struggle with mental ill- ness. He’s said that he carried out many interviews in the character of Deadpool to alleviate his fears. “I have anxiety, I’ve always had anxiety,” he told the New York Times in 2018. “Both in the lighthearted ‘I’m anx- ious about this’ kind of think, and I’ve been to the depths of the darker end of the spectrum, which is not fun.” He says that humor has always been a way to handle the anxiety that grips him tightly. “I’ll look for the joke in things so that I don’t look for the sadness and the grief,” he’s said. Reynolds also manages his feelings of anxiety and depression through lifting weights and run- ning daily. “Exercise is a means of expelling those demons,” he told the Independent. With the future of movie release dates uncertain due to the pandemic, fans may have to wait awhile to see a new Ryan Reynolds film. It’ll be worth the delay. In the wings is the movie Free Guy, an action comedy in which Reynolds plays “a background character who realizes he’s living in a video game. With the help of an avatar, he tries to prevent the makers of the game from shutting down his world.” Sound familiar? Until then, no doubt, Reynolds will keep us en- tertained on Instagram. Having been recently naturalized in the United States, now that Reyn- olds holds two passports and is a dual citizen, he can finally be officially recognized as the world’s most treasured Canadian/American hero. DALLAS COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY/JUNE 2020 11