Hollywood actor and producer Ryan Reynolds nailed his Canadian roots to a mast on Friday when he talked about making it in the movie business during a time of cultural wars.
“I’m not MAGA. I’m not extreme anything,” the Deadpool franchise star said while participating in an informal conversation at the Toronto Film Festival. Reynolds criticized what he called identity politics as divisive, too “binary, us vs them.” He added that his upbringing in Vancouver and his training in improv comedy helped him become more collaborative and willing to learn on film sets, rather than win at all costs.
“It’s important to keep your head screwed on right. And Canada helped me with that. Canada was a third parent. That business is tough. It can destroy you. I have seen the illusion of it and sort of the thin ice,” Reynolds explained. The Deadpool franchise star was in Toronto for the world premiere of a documentary he produced, John Candy: I Like Me, which is directed by Colin Hanks and is about the late Canadian comic genius.
An emotional Reynolds, after viewing the trailer for the documentary shown on a big screen behind him on stage, recalled Candy as a consummate performer in Hollywood, but someone unable to talk about the personal ghosts and trauma he kept hidden behind his charm and comedy. “One of the things about John, he was a people pleaser, and he was struggling with mental health issues. Everybody deals with mental health issues. John was on the cusp of talking about it. But he was a people pleaser,” he explained.
That urge to please led in part to the health issues that claimed Candy’s life at age 43. “As a people pleaser, you don’t want to burden people with anything. And the only way to talk about mental health problems is to talk about them. You have to take a step forward and you have to talk about you,” Reynolds added.
Having come out of Canada like the late John Candy, Reynolds has been a lifelong fan of the Canadian funnyman and actor since first watching the homegrown satirical comedy series SCTV, in which Candy co-starred.
“When you watch SCTV, some of those sketches look brilliant; they’re actually genius. And some are really terrible. That’s what make it special. You see them experimenting and playing and really kind of enjoying the lack of perfection,” he recounted of the willingness to take risks and be unafraid to fail shown by the SCTV alum.
Reynolds started his career in Canada with recurring roles in the YTV teen series Fifteen (also known as Hillside) in 1991. He didn’t enjoy the early acting experience, but learned about discipline on set, including having to memorize his lines for multiple episodes. “I also skirted through it without any degree of fame. I don’t even think the editor saw the show,” a jesting Reynolds recalled.
He also talked about being a Canadian actor in Los Angeles. “A common denominator among Canadians is there’s a commitment to what’s right. Sometimes that can go too far. I know for a fact that, when I experience injustice, I tend to get really upset about it. I feel shame about it. Why didn’t I do something about it earlier? That mechanism allows Canadians to be more productive. I love to under-promise and over-deliver,” he recalled.
Reynolds’ breakthrough came with the hit sitcom Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place. He recounted Danny Jacobson, the creator of the comedy, one day taking him aside on set and forcibly telling him to find his voice. “Take the fucking stage! Take It!” he was told.
Reynolds joked he told Jacobson at that moment he was “peeing myself.” But that advice changed his life, as he stopped just being a humble Canadian and took center stage as a lead actor. Reynolds also remembered his star turn as the titular character in Martin Campbell’s superhero film Green Lantern as a pivotal movie for his career.
It taught him the importance of taking risks with his career to advance in Hollywood by becoming a producer, as he claimed full ownership of Deadpool, Hollywood’s first R-rated superhero pic. Taking ownership also taught Reynolds to be realistic as a producer. “Too much time and too much money will destroy creativity. Constraint and pressure will create asymmetric thought and you will start to think outside the box,” he insisted.
As a producer in Hollywood, Reynolds also admitted to having shaken his head over some giant tentpole budgets. “You just don’t need that much money. You just need to put something on screen that people connect to. And it’s not superpowers. It’s never superpowers. It isn’t. Superman with Christopher Reeve is one of the best movies. The dude could fly,” he said of the simplicity of the Man of Steel streaking through the sky.
Reynolds added he tries not to overthink superhero movies: “The stuff I’m writing is because it makes me laugh, or it’s something I want to say. And usually if you love it that much, other people will as well.”
The Toronto Film Festival continues through Sept. 14.
