From Romantic Lead To Foul-Mouthed Superhero: Ryan Reynolds

Having had to wait 11 years to play the part of Deadpool, there’s no one more passionate about the character than Ryan Reynolds. With wit, charm and attitude to spare, we can all agree that Reynolds was born to play this role.

 

- Hannah May-Lee Wong

The world’s favourite antisuperhero is back. A part of Marvel Comics’ set of characters, Deadpool is distinctly unique with its heavy use of adult humour and an amped up action sequence that does not spare the gory details. The film is R-rated (a rating by the Motion Picture Association of America which states that those aged 16 and below are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian), a comic book movie specially made for adults. Its efforts to stand out paid off as Deadpool (2016) was a critical success, earning over USD$783 million against a USD$58 million budget. The movie became the highest grossing X-Men film and the overall highest grossing R-rated film. Deadpool lead actor, Ryan Reynolds, reprises his role as the hilariously self-aware, sword flinging superhero in red.

EARLY LIFE AND ADVOCACY FOR PARKINSON’S

Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, Canada. He is the youngest of four sons to parents Jim and Tammy Reynolds. Ryan’s father had battled Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years before he passed away in 2015. This inspired Ryan to advocate for awareness on the disease, even teaming up with fellow Canadian actor, Michael J. Fox.

Ryan wrote on a guest post in the Huffington Post: “While I’ll probably never fully understand Michael’s struggle, I’ve had a first-hand peek behind the curtain of Parkinson’s. I’ve watched my father – a strong and proud person who successfully raised four arguably insane children – slowly, cruelly stripped of his independence.” Ryan’s efforts included campaigning for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, raising over USD$100,000 for Parkinson’s research and running a New York City Marathon in aid of the foundation.

COMEDIC AND ROMANTIC BEGINNINGS