In a revealing moment at the TIME 100 Summit, Ryan Reynolds shared how his career-changing experience on 2011’s box office disappointment Green Lantern shaped his creative philosophy and ultimately led to his Deadpool success, per people.com.
The 48-year-old actor, who met his wife Blake Lively on the superhero film’s set, explained that despite the movie’s commercial failure, it taught him that “too much money [and] too much time wrecks creativity.” Speaking candidly at the New York City event on April 23, Reynolds emphasised how creative constraints, rather than unlimited resources, can fuel innovation.
“I remember suggesting, we could write a scene in the movie where people talk,” Reynolds recalled of his time on the Green Lantern set. “It doesn’t cost anything. And they would say, ‘Just spectacle. Spectacle.'”
That experience proved transformative for the actor, who has since found massive success with his character-driven approach to the Deadpool franchise. “Character over spectacle was the lesson that I took with me, in retrospect,” he reflected. “I look back now, it’s what really shapes my point of view.”
Interestingly, Reynolds revealed that Green Lantern has become his two-year-old son Olin’s “favourite movie,” bringing the experience full circle for the actor-producer.
When discussing the future of his Deadpool character after the blockbuster success of Deadpool and Wolverine, Reynolds hinted at potentially appearing in ensemble projects but emphasized that Deadpool’s isolation is crucial to the character. “If Deadpool becomes an Avenger or an X-Men, we’re at the end. That’s his wish fulfillment, and we can’t give him that for a long time,” he explained.
The summit appearance highlighted Reynolds’ evolution from superhero movie flops to franchise-defining success, demonstrating how creative failures often contain the most valuable lessons.
- Featured image: Ryan Reynolds in 2011’s ‘Green Lantern’/Warner Bros.
