Ryan Reynolds returns in Deadpool sequel
The action star returns as quirky superhero Deadpool in a highly anticipated sequel
WADE’S WORLD The sequel to 2016’s Deadpool sees Ryan (41) back as Wade Wilson, a soldier-turned-mercenary avenger who discovers he has cancer and undergoes treatment that leaves him with scars all over his body – but also gives him incredible healing powers. “I love Deadpool with my last beating heart,” Ryan says of his funny yet foul-mouthed character, adding he never wants to play any other comicbook character. What he loves most about Wade is he “can break any boundary”, which opens the door to all sorts of possibilities – such as exploring his sexuality. “What love is to Deadpoolmay not be what love is to Batman . . . He’s an outsider in every way, shape and form.” FUNNY CHOPS Growing up Ryan wanted to be a comedian. The youngest of four boys, he was raised in Vancouver, Canada, by his policeman dad and sales assis- tant mom. He joined a comedy improvisation group at school and quickly realised he had a knack for making others laugh. “I knew I wasn’t Robin Williams funny, but I was good at making myself the butt of the joke.”
It helped him nail his first role at 13 in a teen soap called Hillside. During the audition he was asked to improvise and aced it. At 17 he moved to Los Angeles and started auditioning, getting his TV break in the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, followed by his first film role in the 2002 cult classic National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: Party Liaison. DOTING DAD Away from the cameras and superhero suits – he also played Green Lantern in the 2011 DC Comics flick of the same name – Ryan is a devoted family man. He and his wife of five years – Blake Lively, whom he met on the set of Green Lantern – have two daughters, James (3) and Ines (1).
He says fatherhood is the best thing that’s ever happened to him, but he’s also refreshingly honest about parenthood and often shares hilarious tweets about his kids.
“Being a father is the single greatest feeling on earth. Not including those wonderful years I spent without a child, of course,” one said. Another read, “My daughter loves that [Disney films] have singing, dancing and a part when the parents die.” S