Actor Profile: Ryan Reynolds

This... had so much potential...

Personal Life
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on October 23, 1976, Reynolds had four older brothers to deal with. He graduated from Kitsilano Secondary School in Vancouver, and attempted to go to Kwantlen College. However, he only lasted a few months before dropping out to pursue his budding acting career. Although YAMB does not recommend this as a life choice, it certainly did pay off for Reynolds. In 2002, Reynolds was romantically linked to fellow Canadian, singer Alanis Morissette. Soon after breaking off an engagement with Morissette, Reynolds began dating actress Scarlett Johansson. The two would tie the knot in 2008. Wow. Talk about “power couple.” 


(Abridged) Filmography
1996- Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Seth)
2002- National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (Van Wilder)
2004- Blade: Trinity (Hannibal King)
2005- The Amityville Horror (George Lutz)
2005- Just Friends (Chris Brander)
2007- The Nines (Gary/ Gavin/ Gabriel)
2006- Smokin’ Aces (Richard Messner)
2008- Definitely, Maybe (Will Hayes)
2009- X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Wade Wilson/ they-screwed-up-Deadpool)
2009- The Proposal (Andrew Paxton)
2010- Buried (Paul Conroy)
2011- Green Lantern (Hal Jordan/ Green Lantern)
2011?- Deadpool (Wade Wilson/ they-better-not-screw-up-Deadpool)


Critical Reception
Even though he is a versatile actor (ranging from horror to action to romance and back to action films), Reynolds' career can be seen more as a pretty Hollywood boy than a heavy-hitting critical success. Reynolds is more of a fan favorite than critically acclaimed. He has won fluff awards such as the Scream Award for “Best Supporting Actor” for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and was nominated for roles in The Proposal and Wolverine at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards (seriously, you're not doing yourself any favors when you're at an award show that has Twilight as the big winner). He has also received nominations at the 36th People’s Choice Awards for those same 2009 roles. However, he has begun to grab the attention of critics with his gritty performance in a small, indie horror flick Buried. It is also worth noting that he was mentioned in People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in both 2008 and 2009. Oh yeah. 


The Future
Wow. Reynolds’ future features two projected box-office mega-hits in Green Lantern and a Deadpool movie, in both of which he plays the title character; however, the latter is still in search of a director. I don’t expect the Deadpool film to hit its target 2011 date, but with Robert Rodriguez in talks to direct, expect this film to hit theaters no later than 2012. Also slated for 2012, the prehistoric film The Croods, where Reynolds will play a nomad alongside a Nicolas Cage caveman. Hmmmm . . . . Well, at least he has Green Lantern and Deadpool.