Ryan Reynolds: What you should know about B.C.’s Hollywood hero

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Ryan Reynolds grew up in Vancouver, B.C., and graduated from Kitsilano high school — but once failed an acting class!

Here are some more things to know about our Hollywood hero:

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• He scored his first role at age 13 in the teen soap opera Hillside, called Fifteen in the U.S.

• Reynolds got his break in film as Van Wilder, a raunchy comedy from National Lampoon.

• Deadpool first appeared in X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 but the character was poorly received. Reynolds says he only did the role because he was already attached to the Deadpool franchise.

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• Before Deadpool, there was the 2010 DC superhero movie Green Lantern, which bombed at the box office. Reynolds has said it fell victim to a bad Hollywood formula: “Poster first, release date second, script last.”

• Superstar status came with the release of Deadpool, a project Reynolds developed for over a decade. He brought the shoot to his hometown of Vancouver, a big boost for Hollywood North. Unlike many other movies filmed in Vancouver, it celebrates rather than disguises what city it’s in.

• Reynolds has also embarked on a number of business ventures outside of Hollywood, including with Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile.

• In 2000, he and friend Rob McElhenney bought soccer club Wrexham, bringing star power to Wales.

• Reynolds was married to Scarlett Johansson for three years but the couple were very private.

• He married Blake Lively in 2012 and the couple have four children together.

• In 2023, Reynolds was one of 14 British Columbians to receive the Order of B.C.

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