If Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively can weather the train wreck that was “Green Lantern,” then these two can make it through anything, right?
Speaking with Variety in a new interview ahead of the Golden Globes on Sunday night, Reynolds, who is nominated in the category of Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for “Deadpool,” opened up about how Lively helps him handle the stress of life in the spotlight.
“By the time we were in post[-production], we’d been to Comic-Con, and people went crazy for it. The expectations were eating me alive,” Reynolds said of the massive hype before “Deadpool” went on to make a killing at the box office.
“Blake helped me through that,” he explained. “I’m lucky to have her around just to keep me sane.”
The father of two has candidly discussed his struggle with anxiety before, revealing that he had “a little bit of a nervous breakdown” before the film’s premiere. Apparently, Reynolds has suffered from anxiety attacks since childhood, something he believes stems from his difficult relationship with his father, who died last year after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
“I have three older brothers,” he told Variety. “Our father was tough. He wasn’t easy on anyone. And he wasn’t easy on himself. 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.”
But with a “Deadpool” sequel on the horizon, Reynolds says he’s working feverishly to make sure the film exceeds the expectations of the original, which not many believed would succeed at the box office, let alone receive attention from any award shows.
“It’s really proof that literally anything can happen in Hollywood,” Reynolds said. “I wish I could absorb it.”
Read Reynolds’ full profile in Variety.
