A lot of guys would consider Ryan Reynolds one of the luckiest guys on earth. He’s played the role of two different superheroes, he was deemed the sexiest man alive in 2010 and, to top it all off, he’s married to Blake Lively. Not too bad for a guy who just turned 40. What people may not know, though, is that Reynolds has had some of the worst luck a human being could possibly have. He's had to deal with hurricanes, earthquakes, broken bones and even horse carcasses—okay, read a little further to understand that last bit. One thing is for sure: Reynolds has had a remarkable life that doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime in the near future.
15 He was in a skydiving accident
Ryan Reynolds was an avid skydiver in his younger days, but all that came to an end when one of the worst things that can occur during skydiving happened to Reynolds. Up to that point, Reynolds had made 12 successful jumps, but bad luck struck him on the 13th when his parachute failed to open properly. According to the actor, the parachute risers failed to operate, causing Reynolds to spin wildly out of control to the point where he almost lost consciousness. Luckily for Reynolds, he had an emergency shoot that worked properly, though without the ability to steer the chute, he ended up eight miles away from his target drop zone. Ever since this near disaster, Reynolds has had an immense fear of flying.
14 He failed drama class
Ryan Reynolds is an inspiration to all struggling actors trying to find their way. His path to becoming one of the most successful stars in the industry was anything but typical. In fact, when most young actors were part of their high school plays, Reynolds was busy failing drama class. He has even gone on record to say that he never participated in any acting classes. That didn’t stop Ryan from pursing his desired career, though. He would eventually go on to land acting gigs at the very young age of 13. Reynolds has stated, “I knew I could do it based on the skill with which I lied to my parents on a regular basis.”
13 Reynolds snubbed the child actors in "Amityville Horror"
The Amityville Horror remake (2005) starring Ryan Reynolds was much different than many of the roles the actor previously portrayed. There wasn’t much of an opportunity for Reynolds to showcase his often-hilarious nature in the film, as he was tasked to take on the terrifying role of George Lutz. Ryan’s inherently likable nature made him the perfect actor to portray the evil turn that George Lutz would go through in the film. In an attempt to make the turn more authentic, the actor purposely chose not to become close to the actors that played his children in the movie. This form of method acting was so effective that by the end of the production, the children were unsure if Reynolds actually liked them or not.
12 He went trick-or-treating as Deadpool
In the months leading up to the release of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds was a part of some viral marketing stunts that were endlessly hilarious. Out of all his appearances as the Merc With a Mouth, none can compare to Reynolds donning the Deadpool costume to go trick-or-treating with a group of children dressed as the X-Men. Reynolds sent out a tweet containing the photo that read, “Dear Fox, stop changing the timelines. It's confusing the audience. #xmenassemble #happyhalloween.” This was the actor poking fun at the fact that Fox often confused X-Men movie timelines within the universe that Deadpool resides. Nothing seems to be able to slow down the Deadpool train—not even a skintight, red leather suit or convoluted time travel.
11 He wore a 60-pound fat suit in “Just Friends”
Ryan Reynolds is definitely not the first actor in Hollywood to don a fat suit and heavy makeup for comedic affect. Robin Williams did it in Mrs. Doubtfire and so did Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor. That didn’t make the four-hour makeup sessions during the filming of Just Friends any easier, though. Unfortunately, the 12 pounds of makeup and 60-pound fat suit the actor would don every morning before filming “felt like molten lava.” This would cause Reynolds to constantly take breaks in between shoots to get fresh air outside of the studio. During these breaks, Reynolds would sometimes encounter fans, but the actor would consistently go unnoticed by them, due to the drastic change in his appearance.
10 Superhero fitness routine
Being in superhero shape doesn’t come easy, but Ryan Reynolds wasn’t always in such great shape. When the actor landed a role in Blade, he had to get serious about his physique. Up until that point, he was eating and drinking whatever he wanted, but all that changed when he began consuming 3,200 calories a day and working out six days a week. Soon thereafter, the actor put on 25 pounds of muscle and found himself in prime condition for the role. Reynolds would then go on to compete in the New York City marathon and even completed a successful climb up Machu Picchu. He says, “That time changed my life because it taught me you can actually do things that were previously impossible.”
9 It took 10 years to make Deadpool
On paper, a superhero film starring Ryan Reynolds sounds like the safest bet a studio could make in 2016. But, Reynolds didn’t want it to be just any old superhero movie (looking at you, Green Lantern). The actor wanted a Deadpool film that stayed true to the R-rated and often ultra-violent, comic book source material. After 10 years of stop and go, Reynolds was finally able to make Deadpool happen on his own terms. Luckily for Reynolds and Fox Studios, the R-Rated Deadpool movie set a new gold standard for the wildly popular superhero genre and even went on to generate 760 million dollars at the box office. Fans eagerly await the second installment of the Deadpool franchise, which is set to be released in 2018.
8 He suffered claustrophobia while filming Buried
Of all the phobias to suffer from during a movie which required you to be locked in a coffin for several hours at a time, claustrophobia would have to be the worst. That was exactly what happened to Ryan Reynolds during the final days on the set of Buried, though. He says, "I was enclosed in there and I had my moments of utter panic that were soothed in different ways. There were times when I couldn't get in and out of the coffin with any kind of ease so I just had to stay in there with 50, 60, 70 pounds of wood pressing against me, so I started to have a moment of panic.” Reynolds credited a kind voice actor on the other end of a phone that assisted him through his toughest moments in the tiny coffin.
7 He won 'Sexiest Man Alive' the same year that his then-wife Scarlett Johansson won 'Babe of the Year'
You can say a lot of things about Ryan Reynolds, but you certainly couldn’t call him unattractive. That being said, it should come as no surprise to learn that the actor was voted “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine in 2010. When asked what it felt like to be classified as the “Sexiest Man Alive,” Reynolds said, “Well, there was a little moment of disbelief, and then you kind of settle into it. Really, you just have to go with the flow.” What may come as a surprise—though, it really shouldn’t—is that Reynolds’s then-wife, Scarlett Johansson, was voted “Babe of the Year” by GQ magazine the same year Reynolds was awarded his sexiest man status.
6 He REALLY hated X-Men Origins: Wolverine
You may be surprised to learn that Deadpool (2016) wasn’t the first appearance of the Merc With a Mouth on the silver screen. In X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Reynolds also portrayed Deadpool, although the character was drastically different from the violent jokester we would eventually fall in love with. Fans, critics and even the actors were displeased with the character's appearance, as well as the creative decision to sew Deadpool’s mouth shut, leaving him without his greatest weapon: his comedic delivery. Reynolds found working on the whole film to be a “frustrating experience,” but went along with it because he was already attached to an in-development solo film for the character. Luckily, Fox took notice from the negative fan reaction the film received and redeemed themselves with the highly successful Deadpool solo film.
5 He suffered neck and back injuries filming Deadpool
Unlike Ryan Reynolds’ comic book counterpart, he lacks the rapid healing powers possessed by Deadpool. Those fictional healing abilities would have come in handy on the set of the action thriller, as Reynolds suffered multiple injuries in some of the more rigorous scenes. Reynolds revealed that he sustained damage to a spinal disc, as well as two separated shoulders. The Deadpool actor doesn’t completely attribute these injuries to dangerous filming activities, but rather takes it as a sign of getting older. Reynolds told Men's Health Magazine, “I’m not 22 any more...When I jump off a building and hit cement, it's not hilarious any more: it f**king hurts... So I'm dealing with a ton of nagging injuries. After 15 years of intermittent action movies, you get your a** kicked. I've broken my neck; I've separated both my shoulders and I've got a wrecked disc in my back."
4 He made his acting debut on a Canadian soap opera
Way before Ryan Reynolds was the Green Lantern, wearing a fat suit in Just Friends or wielding samurai swords in Deadpool, he was just a teenage actor in a teen drama series called Hillside School. The Canadian series, which aired on Nickelodeon in the early '90s, covered a wide array of issues that arise in the transformative—and often excruciating—teenage years. Reynolds played the character of Billy, who spent most of his on screen time trying to win the love of his female classmates. While the soap opera only aired on Nickelodeon for two years, it was nominated for several awards. Best of all, though, it gave us documentation of Ryan Reynolds early career as an actor.
3 He met Blake Lively while filming Green Lantern
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have known each other since they first met on the set of Green Lantern, but it was a year later before the actors realized there was a spark between them. The way that they came together was anything but typical. In fact, the two reconnected when they were both on a double date with different people. Lively was on a date with a different man and Reynolds with a different woman, but when the pair crossed paths, the “fireworks” couldn’t be ignored. The two then decided to be friends before becoming official. “We were buddies for a long time, which I think is the best way to have a relationship, to start as friends,” said Reynolds.
2 He got stuck in a tsunami in 2004
Ryan Reynolds has had almost as many accidents, injuries and close calls than he’s had famous girlfriends. He’s avoided terrifying cliff diving mishaps, multitudes of bodily injuries and even a near-death skydiving accident. Well, we have one more thing to add to the list. During a vacation to Indonesia with his then-girlfriend, Alanis Morissette, the couple found themselves stuck in a bonafide tsunami after a massive 9.1 earthquake occurred off the coast of the country. Luckily for Reynolds and Morissette, they were far enough away to avoid the most violent parts of the storm. While the actor certainly doesn’t have the best of luck, he has been lucky to escape so many close calls and still be in tact.
1 Motorcycles and horse carcasses
Being the thrill seeker that Ryan Reynolds is, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the actor is a huge fan of motorcycles. The actor has frequently taken cross-country road trips on his bike, with little to no incident. That is, except for that one time he had a strange run-in with a farm animal. Apparently, the actor pulled off the side of the road for a bathroom break, but found himself knee deep in the deceased body of a horse. The actor said that he jumped over a hedge and down into a ravine without looking and found himself in the not so pleasant situation. He recalls, “Some stuff just doesn’t wash out. I didn’t even want to get rid of my pants, I wanted to go to the hospital and have my legs cut off.”