Ryan Reynolds on ‘Spirited,’ Will Ferrell and ugly Christmas sweaters

In an interview, the ‘Deadpool’ star discusses his upcoming holiday musical comedy for Apple TV+, his comic repartee with co-star Will Ferrell, and his interpretation of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’

For years, Ryan Reynolds was that guy, that wise-cracking, smart alec who appeared in a few funny movies in the same role over and over again.

But then, something changed. Not so much his roles: he just became really, really good at it. 

Looking back at an almost three decade-long career, it’s astonishing how Ryan went from Canadian child actor to playing hormonal teens and rom-com leads, to finally becoming one of the most recognised comedic/ action/ superhero stars in mainstream Hollywood today. Not to mention, one half of the world’s most cherished celebrity couples, as Blake Lively’s husband; Blake just confirmed a month ago that they were expecting their fourth child together.

More recently, he’s also found favour with sports fans across the world, after taking ownership of Welsh football club Wrexham A.F.C, along with friend, actor Rob McElhenney. The subsequent docu-series —Welcome to Wrexham— tracking Rob and Ryan’s crash course in football club ownership and the fates of a team and a town counting on two Hollywood stars to bring them good fortune, has become a global success.

Still, it’s reassuring to know that the Deadpool actor isn’t on all the time, though his many popular films and social media posts may have you believe otherwise. Ryan is surprisingly soft-spoken and quite earnest, as he sits down with Weekend over a Zoom call to promote what could turn out to be this year’s Christmas blockbuster.

Yet another reincarnation of A Christmas Carol, Spirited sees him team up with none other than Will Ferrell (a comedic match for the ages) in a modern take on Scrooge’s path to redemption — or is it? This time around, it is Clint Briggs (Reynolds) who turns the tables on his host, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) until Present finds himself re-examining his own past, present and future!

Ryan admits that he was nervous shooting for his first musical, even as he balanced working on the project, while shooting for the John Krasinki-directorial If (with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carell and others) as well as his return to R-rated territory with the third Deadpool movie that sees him enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe… alongside Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.