Ryan Reynolds decries young people not taking COVID-19 more seriously

Ryan Reynolds at the premiere of Netflix’s “6 Underground” at The Shed at Hudson Yards on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, in New York. Image: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

“Deadpool” movie star Ryan Reynolds stressed to his younger fans the importance of taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously during his interview at “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”

Reynolds chatted with the TV host via videocall about the actor and his wife Blake Lively’s efforts to help people who are affected by the crisis, a portion of which has been uploaded on the show’s YouTube channel yesterday, April 2.

The actor, known for his keen sense of humor, joked with Colbert about how he plans to keep himself alive during the quarantine, in case things turn for the worse, and bared what he and his family have been doing to pass the time at home like homeschooling and gardening.

After Colbert inquired about how things are in Reynold’s native country Canada, the actor shared a conversation he had with someone who appeared to be unfazed by the new virus. The speaker likened COVID-19 to pneumonia, which was apparently “not a big deal.” Speaking from experience, Reynolds narrated anecdotes about his late father who he described as a “very strong guy, a boxer and an ex-cop,” but died due to pneumonia.

“Pneumonia is very serious, it can take out the toughest of us and it certainly got my dad,” he said.

“[Coronavirus] is a serious thing,” Reynolds affirmed. “And I keep seeing, particularly younger people, talk about it like it’s not really their problem and my god, it’s their problem.”

Lively and Reynolds recently donated $1 million to the US and Canadian food banks in view of the pandemic. They also gave $400,000 to New York hospitals. Reynolds has also extended his help using his companies Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile.

“I think most companies if they can, need to be doing something,” Reynolds said. “They need to be giving back at someway.”

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has yet to call for a nationwide stay-at-home order amid the pandemic, leaving it up to the country’s individual states to push for their own shutdown orders. This is despite his administration’s projection that “tens of thousands of Americans” will likely be killed by COVID-19. Cha Lino /ra

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