Civil parting for Ryan, Scarlett
“I’M just dating myself,” says Ryan Reynolds. Photo by RUBEN NEPALES
LOS ANGELES—“I was fortunate that I was involved in a divorce that was incredibly amicable,” Ryan Reynolds said about his civilized parting of ways with Scarlett Johansson in our recent interview. “That’s something I don’t take lightly. That’s something I’m going to protect even now.”
The “Green Lantern” star, looking preppy in a gray wool vest and shirt with sleeves rolled up halfway, was his usual wisecracking self. But in between puns, he shared some sober thoughts.
“A lot of it is in my rearview mirror,” he remarked on the painful split. “I don’t know anybody who has been through it and didn’t find some discomfort. I had an uncle who got a divorce and it was like he won the lottery, but he’s the exception to the rule.”
Asked if he’s going out with anyone, Ryan quipped, “I’m just dating myself,” although there were reports he has been seeing model Agnes Fischer.
Private, not secretive
Explaining why he opened up a bit on the separation in a recent cover story on Details magazine, the actor said: “It’s a profile piece. But you’ll see that there’s absolutely nothing that details the reasons [behind the divorce] and anything that’s intimate. There’s a strong difference between being secretive and being private. I don’t want to be secretive. You’re asking for trouble when you are secretive.”
He admitted mentioning in the article that “the media wasn’t invited to my marriage and they’re not invited to the divorce either. I believe in that. I’m also protecting the other half of that equation. That’s important to do.”
On dealing with setbacks, Ryan said: “What I saw as a disappointment at the time usually turned into an opportunity. Every crisis I’ve had always turned into something so much better later on. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve more faith in that.”
Lost, aimless
Ryan, 34, recalled feeling depressed, lost and aimless at certain moments in his early 20s. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do or wanted to be. I didn’t know who I was and because of that, I was open to receiving help. When I got help, I was with family and friends. I learned I wasn’t alone and it gave me tools that I could use later in life.”
He revealed having done “reckless things” before he sought help. “I used to have insomnia and it was not romantic or fun. I went on a motorcycle trip after being awake for 48 hours. I was in the desert somewhere in Nevada. I had my eyes open and I was staring at the road, but I was having a conversation with Johnny Carson who has been dead for a long time. I pulled over and I remember thinking, this is absolute idiocy. I was lying on the side of the road and thinking, God, I’m lucky to be alive right now.”
Facing fears
The Canada native cited the benefit of facing one’s fears. “Every great thing that ever happened to me has been a result of facing something I was afraid of,” he stressed. “I moved to Los Angeles when I was 19. That was terrifying—to cross the border and come down to Los Angeles, trying to make it in this industry.”
He called the move a huge leap of faith, because his father had laid out a plan for him and his brothers who are cops. “The idea was that I would join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” Ryan said. “But instead, I went the other way. It paid off for me. I followed my dream and it was incredibly satisfying.”
If his Hal Jordan character in “Green Lantern” finds incredible strength through a power ring, what energizes Ryan as a person? “I’m empowered by mystery because I like venturing into something where I don’t know all the factors,” he replied. “Like when I take a trip, I don’t go to Maui and stay at the Four Seasons. I usually get on a motorcycle to ride across Australia or some place. That, to me, is empowering—to be able to come back, win or lose, and say, ‘I tried to do something interesting with this time off that I had.’”
Courageous acts
Ryan said that he’d like to think that he’s “done a few courageous things. My parents have had trouble in the past as a lot of couples do. Coming to their side in a way that is objective was probably one of the more courageous things I’ve done as opposed to taking sides.”
Would he be as brave as Hal if he encounters a downed spaceship in real life? “I like what Hal did,” Ryan answered. “He just instinctively helps. He just sees a downed pilot but if you ask me, I will drive as fast as I can in the opposite direction.”
On whether he has regretted having turned down film offers, Ryan was circumspect: “There’s an old saying, something about how careers are made by films you don’t take. I’ve turned down films that became hits and films that were bombs. I look at it as all part of the equation.”
What he has also learned is not to be hard on himself when a movie fails. “Professionally, so many are out of my control,” he said. “When a movie doesn’t work, I’m just a cog in a very large machine. I try to look at it like that. The worst mistake I could make is shoulder all the responsibility for everything that goes wrong.”
Never say ‘no’
Known for being hardworking, Ryan and his cast mates, including Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong, impressed director Martin Campbell who told us that “Green Lantern” was his first film where no one among the actors complained.
“I call it discipline more than anything else,” Ryan explained. “I have always worked harder than everyone else or at least think I have. If I’m not perfect for the role, I will work harder. I’ll work until I collapse. I’ll never tell the director, ‘No.’ If we have to do 50 takes of a scene where I’m falling off scaffolding, I’ll do 50 takes.”
Ryan gave credit to his father, Jim Reynolds. “Early on, my father instilled a really strong work ethic in me,” he said, recounting his growing up years in Vancouver. “I saw it at an early age that it pays off. I lead a life that’s pretty disciplined. It’s still flexible and spontaneous but when I want to buckle down and do something, I’m going to finish it.”
That determination involves conquering his phobias. “I had a fear of heights which I got over while making this film, that’s for sure,” he said with a grin. “On my second day, I was launched 300 feet into the air on a pulley system that operated at 60 feet per second. It was just a terrible way to wake up. But you get over these things. I’m a little better with heights but I’m still not good on a plane.”
Grueling schedule
Ryan’s discipline is reflected in his grueling schedule when he was filming “Green Lantern.” “Martin likes to start at 5 a.m. which means I have to start at 3 a.m.,” he revealed. “That was extreme. Being in a gym at 3 a.m. is pretty extreme. It was 12 months of training from start to finish. I did gymnastics which was just bizarre.”
As to when he would reunite with Sandra Bullock, his best friend and costar in “The Proposal,” Ryan said: “Sandra and I would love to do a movie together. We have a project that we’re developing together.”
With “Green…,” and new films “The Change-Up,” “Safe House” and “The Croods” now in the can, what are mornings like for Ryan these days? “I have a great dog that I love,” he said. “He makes everything great.” Laughing, he quipped, “You wake up with that guy.”
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