Ryan Reynolds recalls 'terrible feeling' of having no say in movies and how he worked to gain control

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ryan Reynolds has opened up about the "terrible feeling" of having no say in movies he worked in the past and how it changed over the years after he decided to take control back as the author of a film. 

Appearing on Variety’s 'Actors on Actors' alongside Andrew Garfield, the ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ star opened up about losing the faculty of his creative voice as an actor. The 48-year-old actor admitted that it was a “terrible feeling” to have absolutely zero input in the creative process of a film, per IndieWire.

Thankfully, however, it has now changed, as Reynolds shared that he wanted to take the agency back and establish his authorship in the films he is starring.

Ryan Reynolds opens up about having no input in the creative process

Ryan Reynolds, who served as the writer/producer/lead star of ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ opened up about his creative process and the impact it has in his current method of filmmaking. 

“I look at authorship and control, or however you want to frame it, as trust. Part of my job … well, I have several parts of the job,” said the Marvel actor. 

“One, I have to convince the studio, who’s making a significant investment in mine and [director] Shawn Levy’s ability to land the plane on a dime,” continued the star before adding, “And our job is to return that investment.”

“And that really is a big construct of this business,” he continued while referencing the ‘Deadpool’ franchise whose face is Reynolds himself.

Reflecting on his entire acting career, the father-of-four said, “I’ve spent a long time doing work and roles that were incredibly fulfilling and nuanced and different and unexpected and charactery and movies that were received really well by critics, but not audiences. I thought, ‘Well, if I want to continue to do this, I have to figure out how to work both sides of the room and make sure that part of my job is choosing work that will beget more of this experience that I love.'”

He explained that another reason for his wanting to reclaim his creative voice was due to the fact that at times he felt he was powerless as an actor. He added that often he felt he was completely at the mercy of the studio. 

“When I had no power — and I say ‘no power’ very loosely, because someone in my position has [power] — so I say that with a grain of salt,” shared Reynolds before explaining, “But what I mean is, I would be on big movies, and I knew the stakes, but I had absolutely no input into what happens.”

“And when you have a point of view, and it can’t be expressed…it’s a terrible feeling,” he continued, expressing the helplessness he felt when his artistic voice was constrained. 

“And when you do try to express the point of view and you say something that feels reasonable, like ‘Let’s stop spending on spectacle and let’s spend on character‘ or ‘Why are we putting all the money in special effects when we could just write?,’ and that’s dismissed…,” elaborated the ‘Free Guy’ star. 

He admitted that this incident further inspired him to reclaim his creative process. Reynolds noted that even if a film turned out to be a box office failure later on, he was ready to take the risk because he would know he was responsible for it. 

Referencing the act of taking creative control back, Reynolds shared, “If that happens a couple of times, you go, ‘I own the bomb.’ If I’m going to bomb, I want to be the architect of my own demise.”

He summed up the process succinctly, “I don’t want to be a passenger on someone else’s nosediving jet plane.”

Ryan Reynolds speaks in defense of comedy

Ryan Reynolds not only spoke out about reclaiming his creative voice but spoke out in defense of comedy when a social media user called out the pairing of Ryan Reynolds with Andrew Garfield. 

Criticizing the pairing, the social media user highlighted the juxtaposition of their characters, writing, "Andrew garfield talking about playing a husband and father who’s wife decides to forgo cancer treatment and ryan reynolds talking about playing deadpool."

That was when 'The Proposal' star took to his X handle to reply to the netizen. He wrote, "Correct. Andrew’s a genius. He and Florence are magic together in, WE LIVE IN TIME. They’re heartbreaking and charming and spend the entire film in a high-wire act of humanity and constraint."

Defending his character, the actor wrote, "And yes I am Deadpool BUT I will take a second and speak up in defense of comedy."

"Dramatic work is difficult. And we’re also meant to SEE it’s difficult which is one of the reasons it feels visceral and effective," explained Reynolds before highlighting, "Comedy is also very difficult. But has an added dimension in that it’s meant to look and feel effortless. You intentionally hide the stitching and unstitching. I think both disciplines are beautiful. And both work beautifully together."

He continued, "Comedy and drama subsist on tension. Both thrive when subverting expectation. Both thrive backstopped by real emotion. And both are deeply subjective. Your favourite comedy might be Anchorman. Mine might be Lars Von Trier’s, Melancholia."