Ryan Reynolds – The entrepreneur with a big mouth

His humor is his trademark. Whether in movies, business, or marriage, Ryan Reynolds consistently proves that a comedic streak can help in almost any situation. »He has this very dark sense of humor«, director Tim Miller summarized back in 2016. »He simply isn’t afraid to make fun of himself.« It’s precisely this trait that later made the Canadian one of the most sought-after actors and advertising faces in Hollywood.

From Canada to Hollywood

Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976, in Vancouver, Canada, in British Columbia. Forty-seven years later, he would even receive the Order of British Columbia, an award recognizing outstanding contributions to the Canadian province. He had been acting since he was 13, and at 15, he made his television debut in what he later called a »terrible, terrible soap opera« titled Hillside. This was followed by other Canadian productions like Ordinary Magic and Odyssey into Dreamland.

At 19, discouraged, he gave up his then-modest acting career to attend Kwantlen Polytechnic University. A few months later, he dropped out. Shortly after, he ran into his former Hillside co-star Chris William Martin, who convinced him to give acting another shot and move with him to Los Angeles. After numerous auditions, he broke into the U.S. film and television industry in 1996, starting with minor roles in series and later landing leading roles in movies like National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, Just Friends, and The Proposal.

Bad Luck in Games, Good Luck in Love

Though primarily known for romantic comedies, the actor’s big break in the superhero genre came with Blade: Trinity, the final installment of the Marvel action saga about the vampire hunter and »Daywalker.« Even as a supporting actor, he successfully showcased his typical, often improvised humor – much to the chagrin of his co-star Wesley Snipes, whom Reynolds claimed hated him for it.

The Alter Ego

In 2016, Reynolds found his signature role as Deadpool in the Marvel comic adaptation of the same name. The role of the »merc with a mouth« seems tailor-made for him: both are never at a loss for words, and the lines between the comic character and the actor often blur. For Reynolds himself, it was »like a dream come true«, as he told OutNow in an interview.

However, one detail fans might prefer to forget is that Reynolds had already portrayed the wisecracking katana-wielder before Deadpool. The disappointing depiction of Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 provided the impetus to make another film for the anti-hero, one that would do justice to him and his loud mouth. And it was a resounding success: the reboot Deadpool achieved the highest opening weekend earnings for an R-rated film, and Reynolds himself won a Critics’ Choice Movie Award, a People’s Choice Award, and two MTV Movie & TV Awards. The film grossed $782.8 million worldwide, prompting Marvel to release a commercially equally successful sequel two years later.

The World Beyond Superhero Suits

The »Entertainer of the Year 2016« isn’t just an actor and jokester – he’s also a successful entrepreneur. Under the name of Deadpool’s motto, »Maximum Effort«, Reynolds co-founded his own film production studio with George Dewey in 2018. Deadpool 2 was the first film Maximum Effort Productions worked on, followed by Free Guy, The Adam Project, Spirited, and IF: Imaginäre Freunde – each time, of course, with Reynolds himself in the lead role.

The 47-year-old has even won an Emmy – though, strictly speaking, not for his acting but for his business acumen. In 2021, Reynolds, along with actor Rob McElhenney, acquired the Welsh football club AFC Wrexham for $2.5 million.

In 2018, he acquired a significant stake in the brand Aviation Gin and has since been the face of this brand. »My responsibilities in this company are huge. I’ll spend my days getting photographed while occasionally flexing my jaw muscles, pointing at things, and nodding.«

LT