His No. 1 supporter. Ryan Reynolds revealed to Variety that his wife, Blake Lively, calmed his nerves ahead of the debut of Deadpool last year.
“By the time we were in post, we’d been to Comic-Con, and people went crazy for it. The expectations were eating me alive,” Reynolds, 40, explained to the mag. “Blake helped me through that. I’m lucky to have her around just to keep me sane.”
Reynolds has struggled with anxiety for years. “I have three older brothers. Our father was tough. He wasn’t easy on anyone. And he wasn’t easy on himself,” Reynolds said. “I think the anxiety might have started there, trying to find ways to control others by trying to control myself. At the time, I never recognized that. I was just a twitchy kid.”
Despite Reynolds’ concerns, the action comedy became a huge success — and a sequel is already in the works. Reynolds snagged a Critics’ Choice award in the Best Actor in a Comedy category and the film was nominated for two Golden Globes.
“I would love to play Deadpool for as long as they would let me play Deadpool,” he told Variety. “We have outlines and stories for a number of different films.”
Reynolds has been a leading man in Hollywood for years, but he never saw himself that way. “When I would go out [on set], my volume was lower,” he said of his early career. “Everything would minimize … I was thinking of myself as the wacky next-door neighbor.”
Last month, Reynolds received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was joined by Lively, 29, and the couple’s two daughters, James, 2, and Ines, 2 months, at the big event.
Reynolds gushed over the Gossip Girl alum during the ceremony. “I want to thank my wife, Blake, who is sitting right there, who is everything to me. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me — second only to this star,” he said December 15. “You make everything better, absolutely everything in my life better. You’ve made me the father of my dreams when I thought I only had fun-uncle potential.”
