Canadian-American actor and producer Ryan Reynolds recently shared that his 2-year-old son, Olin, has unexpectedly praised one of his most criticised films, Green Lantern (2011). The movie, which Reynolds starred in alongside his wife, Blake Lively, struggled at the box office, but it has become Olin’s favourite.
Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s CMO Council Summit, Reynolds said, “You laugh, but my son, it’s his favourite movie, and he watches it every single day.” He joked about the effort it took to reach a point where he could walk past the film playing at home without critiquing every scene. “Do you understand the work I’ve had to do to get to the place where I can just pass by that screen and not go, ‘Well, we could have done that differently?’” he said.
Although many fans view Green Lantern as one of his weaker films, Reynolds now sees it differently. He reflected on that period of his career as a time when he was constantly following directions, saying, “Yes, sir. No, sir. How high can I jump, sir?”
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Reynolds and Lively have four children: Olin and their daughters James, Inez, and Betty. For the Deadpool star, his kids must see both the successes and the failures in life. He explained that while fans often praise him in public, “My kids, all they see is a winner… When I go outside, I get pats on the back and a selfie parade, and I oblige everyone pretty much.”
To give his children a full picture, Reynolds emphasizes discussing his mistakes and setbacks. “I’ve learned lately to make sure I am talking about the failures and how that is literally the base and ingredient for everything else,” he said.
For Reynolds, what once felt like a career disappointment has become an opportunity to teach his children, laugh at his journey, and enjoy the fact that his toddler keeps replaying one of his biggest box-office misses.
