Ryan Reynolds on Balancing Success and Fatherhood

Summary

Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist – Ryan Reynolds on Balancing Success and Fatherhood
April 19, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this live “Sunday Sitdown” at City Winery, New York, Willie Geist sits down with Ryan Reynolds, acclaimed actor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The conversation explores Reynolds’ multifaceted career, his personal connection to Parkinson’s disease, fatherhood, and the balance between extraordinary professional success and creating a grounded, meaningful family life. The episode is filled with candid moments, rapid-fire wit, and thoughtful reflections on both the comedic and serious challenges Reynolds has faced.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. The Live Audience & Personal Connections

• The event is part of Sunday TODAY’s 10th anniversary celebrations, with a packed crowd, family, and friends present.
• Willie and Ryan share a longstanding bond over their fathers’ battles with Parkinson’s, both being involved with the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

2. Raising Parkinson’s Awareness

[12:16–15:38]

• Reynolds discusses becoming a public advocate for Parkinson’s, specifically for underrecognized symptoms like hallucinations and delusions.
  • “More so than I would have guessed ten years on.” (Ryan, 13:18)
• Emphasizes the loneliness of living with the disease:
  • “I can’t think of anything more isolating or lonesome than no longer being a reliable narrator in your own life.” (Ryan, 13:03)
• His advocacy has doubled recognition of psychiatric symptoms in Parkinson’s families since he began the campaign.
• Importance of supporting caregivers, especially his mother, who cared for his late father.

3. The Power of Michael J. Fox’s Example

[15:48–20:05]

• Michael J. Fox inspired Reynolds’ dad to acknowledge his disease.
  • “When Michael came out and talked about it...that gave so many people license to, you know, sort of feel less alone.” (Ryan, 19:07)
• Both Reynolds and Geist ran marathons for Parkinson’s advocacy, swapping stories about the experience and the tough love of their fathers.

4. Wrexham Football Club: Community & Underdog Triumph

[24:39–33:57]

• The emotional journey of buying Wrexham AFC with Rob McElhenney.
  • “We wanted to be a part of their story instead of pulling them into our story.” (Ryan, 26:24)
• The town’s revitalization through investment, tourism, and feeling seen.
  • “To see that a town could be revitalized simply by feeling seen...it sort of speaks to just how people can be revitalized just by feeling seen.” (Ryan, 27:39)
• Explains their approach to learning and humility with the team.
• Describes the cross-cultural impact as Wrexham becomes a global name, and the deep personal fulfillment of seeing the club and community thrive.

5. The Art of Storytelling, Business, and Creativity

[34:37–39:43]

• Reynolds’ business ventures (Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, Maximum Effort) are all tied together by the power of community and storytelling.
  • “Bringing people together in smart, fun, and unexpected ways is literally the motto of Maximum Effort.” (Ryan, 35:20)
• Acknowledges many failures behind the scenes but emphasizes joy and connection as motivators.
• Discusses the importance of creating from feeling rather than outcome:
  • “Everything I’ve ever done thinking, ‘Oh, I hope it does this...’ it doesn’t work. And if it does, it’s kind of unsatisfying.” (Ryan, 32:41)

6. The John Candy Documentary & Influences

[39:43–44:25]

• His admiration for John Candy as a sweet, funny person who brought people together.
• Anecdotes about tracking down interviews with Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray.
• Uses AI to reconstruct Aykroyd’s eulogy before getting the real interview.

7. The Deadpool Saga: Perseverance, Mischief, and Redemption

[44:25–49:31]

• Obstacles getting Deadpool made—studio hesitance, leaking test footage, working with minimal resources.
  • “It was the greatest lesson and creative lesson of my life. Because anytime there’s too much money and too much time, you murder creativity.” (Ryan, 45:06)
• The film’s success was propelled by joy, mischief, and breaking conventions.
  • “Mischief to me is my mistress. I love mischief.” (Ryan, 48:23)
• Explains Deadpool’s appeal comes from self-awareness and redeeming outcasts.

8. Fatherhood: Grounded Joy in the Midst of Fame

[51:20–57:38]

• Reynolds’ priority is always family—a theme in both his discussion and life choices.
  • “My wife and kids are everything. I mean, that’s it.” (Ryan, 52:28)
• Parenting brings humility, gratitude, and opportunities to heal his own childhood wounds.
  • “Having kids is like a version of prayer... Grateful, all the time.” (Ryan, 53:12)
• On teaching kids about failure and resilience:
  • “You can’t be good at anything unless you’re willing to be bad at it.” (Ryan, 55:55)

9. Maintaining Balance: Family, Marriage, and the Spotlight

[59:15–61:28]

• Reynolds and wife Blake Lively alternate working so one parent is always with their kids.
• Speaks on grounding their children and exposing them to real world struggles to foster empathy.
  • “They’re much better people than I am, that’s for sure.” (Ryan, 61:18)

10. Coping With Public Life & Digital Challenges

[61:28–63:21]

• After a public legal situation, shares deep pride in Blake’s integrity and strength.
• Voices concerns about the pressures of the digital world on children and how algorithms affect young people.

11. Milestones, Aging, and Self-Knowledge

[63:47–65:43]

• On turning 50 and reflecting on life’s priorities:
  • “Knowing yourself is the greatest, greatest superpower on earth.” (Ryan, 64:18)
• Values the wisdom, confidence, and self-acceptance that come with age.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On His Dad & Parkinson’s:
  “My relationship with him...it’s grown since he’s been gone. It's kind of grown. I attribute that to getting older, growing more of my own experiences and seeing those in my wake.” (Ryan, 12:38)
• On Failure and Success:
  “None of you saw the sugar panda ad campaign I did about a cocaine addicted cartoon polar bear...there’s a lot of misses.” (Ryan, 35:23)
• On Family First:
  “When we finally close our eyes to this mortal dumb show, those are the ones that matter.” (Ryan, 52:28)
• On Storytelling and Community:
  “The best feeling on earth is bringing people together.” (Ryan, 35:24)
• On Parenting and Growth:
  “Go suck at something...You can’t be good at anything unless you’re willing to be bad at it.” (Ryan, 55:55)
• On Aging & Acceptance:
  “Knowing yourself is the greatest superpower on earth. That comes out at this age. You really kind of rest in that, in a way you didn’t when you were younger.” (Ryan, 64:18)

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Audience Q&A Highlights

1. If You Could Trade Careers With a Character?
   • Andrew from The Proposal: “He was a good boy.” (Ryan, 66:59)
   • Wouldn’t want to be: Deadpool – “Exhausting!”
2. How Do You Stay Energized?
   • “I am not energized. I grab five hours when I can get it… We’re all just hurtling through space on a giant rock that’s on fire, trying not to kill each other.” (Ryan, 67:56)
3. Favorite Movie Ever?
   • “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” (Ryan, 70:15)
   • Geist: “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Boys in the Hood,” “The Royal Tenenbaums.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [12:16] – Parkinson’s awareness and his dad’s story
• [15:48] – Michael J. Fox’s impact and marathon stories
• [24:39] – Wrexham’s journey and community transformation
• [34:37] – The motive and philosophy behind Reynolds’ businesses
• [44:25] – The trials and creative lessons of making Deadpool
• [51:20] – Reynolds on fatherhood and family balance
• [61:28] – Living with celebrity, grounding children
• [63:47] – On approaching 50 and self-reflection
• [66:06] – Audience Q&A (favorite character, energy, favorite movie)

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Final Thoughts

The episode is a wide-ranging, intimate portrait of Ryan Reynolds—equal parts hilarious, candid, and deeply human. Through stories of personal struggle, creative tenacity, and reflections on parenting, he reveals a philosophy centered on connection, humility, and the enduring power of storytelling. For fans and newcomers alike, this sitdown is a goldmine of both laughter and inspiration.

Transcript

[Willie Geist]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Willie Geist]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Willie Geist]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Willie Geist]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Willie Geist]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Willie Geist]

Hey guys, Willie Geist with a special edition of the Sunday Sit down podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. I say special because this is the latest in our series of Sunday Sit Down Live conversations where we bring you into the room, a live audience of our listeners and our viewers who can buy tickets and come sit with us inside City Winery, New York at City Winery, Nashville, in the case of Luke Combs a couple of months ago and be a part of the conversation for a Sunday Sit Down. We love doing it. We love meeting you, seeing you, hearing how far you've traveled to be with us on these nights. And just a few nights ago, I got together with Ryan Reynolds, the one and only Ryan Reynolds, he of Deadpool fame. But let's be honest, at this point, so much more. Yes, Deadpool and Wolverine a couple of years ago and the single highest grossing R rated movie in the history of Hollywood made $1.3 billion. By the way, the two previous Deadpool movies also are in the top five of the highest grossing R rated movies of all time. So he can do that. We know he's good at making movies, but also he's become this kind of fascinating business magnate who's got a football club, perhaps you've heard of it, called Wrexham. He'll tell the story of that, how it started from the bottom and it's now climbed to the doorstep of the Premier League, which is as good as you in soccer. How he got involved with that, how they've created this docu series that's won a bunch of Emmys around it. A new season of that coming up called welcome to Wrexham on fx. Also, the guy has a, a mobile phone company. He just bought a sailing team with Hugh Jackman, his good buddy. And he's got this company, Maximum Effort, that does all kinds of marketing and branding and advertising. So he's just one of these guys who's sort of voracious and just wants to try new challenges. And I kind of talk to him about what the through line is on all of these things, what he tries, how he picks and chooses, what he gets associated with. Oh, also has a gin company, aviation gin. By the way, the signature drink of the night that night at city winery, New York was called A10 and Tonic 10 because it's our 10th anniversary of Sunday Today, the program on NBC. And so we were celebrating that that night and then we got mixed in his aviation gin. So a little tin and tonic. You get it. Also, you know, Ryan and I have known each other for over a decade in a way that we never would have hope to have had to know each other, which is through Parkinson's disease. But it has formed a bond between us. Both of our dads. His late father Jim, who passed away in 2015, lived with Parkinson's for 20 years. My dad, who's 81 years old or about to be it, has had Parkinson's for more than 35 years. So we've always kind of bonded over that in our conversations privately and even publicly. And in this case, again, we talk about that because he's a spokesperson for Acadia Pharmaceuticals and has been raising awareness about some of these lesser known symptoms of Parkinson's, delusions and hallucinations, what might be early warning signs and let people get out ahead of it. So it's quite a mix. There's so much to talk about when you sit down with Ryan Reynolds. That's always the challenge. Where do you begin? Movies, business, Parkinson's, all of it. So hopefully you'll enjoy the conversation again at City Winery, New York. Big live audience who's been plied with 10 and tonics. Just aviation gin or whatever they wanted. Ryan is so extraordinarily funny. My mother Jody is in the crowd. You'll hear him address her several times. My son is there, too. Just a room packed full of friends and family and such a fun night from one of the most thoughtful, charming, and my gosh, stand up comedian level, lightning quick funny Ryan Reynolds. So sit back, relax and enjoy Ryan Reynolds live right now on the Sunday Sit down podcast. What's going on, guys? Welcome, welcome, welcome. Thanks for being here. How are we feeling? Did we have enough 10 in tonics to get the night going a little bit. Yes. I was kind of arguing for 10 and juice, but 10 and tonic won. That's okay. All that matters is there's aviation gin in your drinks tonight. And that's important because Ryan Reynolds is here. We're so excited. We've done five of these now. This is our fifth these Sunday sit down lives. We started just about a year and a half ago with Nate Bargetze on this very stage. Some of you were here. Ina Garten was here for one of them, Jim Gaffigan. Then we went down to Nashville and saw Luke Combs for one. And now we've got Ryan Reynolds. So we're.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

And I continue to be so humbled when I get a chance to talk to some of you before about the effort you put into being here. I swear, when we started this, I was certain that when we had a crowd, it would be some of my friends from New Jersey and some of my neighbors from the Upper west side. And on that first event with Nate, when we were going through the line, people would say, I came from San Diego or I came from Chicago or Atlanta or Fort Worth. I know there's a lot of Fort Worth in the room tonight. Front row, very nice. Austin. Yeah, there we go. All over the place. And I actually, because I hadn't processed what was happening yet, I would say to them, oh, that's great. Are you in town for work? And then I'd say, are you here to see Hamilton? And they'd say, no, moron, we're here to see you and Nate Bargettse. So thank you. I know what kind of a effort it is to be here and the energy and the cost and everything. So I'm so grateful that you would come. And this really is the beginning of the commemoration of our 10th anniversary of Sunday today. So you're in the room for that. We like to do occasions in here. One of the last times I was in this room, and this is true, was a joint 50th birthday party for me and my wife, who is here tonight. And let's just say we didn't get the security deposit back. So I'm very honored that they would allow us back in this room. I'll leave it at that. Ryan Reynolds is one of my favorite people in the world, one of my favorite people to talk to. He's so smart, he's so funny, as all of you know. He's so generous. And we actually first got to know each other about a dozen years ago. Because his father, his late father, Jim, had Parkinson's disease and my dad has Parkinson's, too. And the two of us were both involved in the Michael J. Fox foundation and formed a real bond over that. And so I'm so moved that some of the people in this room and some that I met tonight who have Parkinson's disease or have a family member with Parkinson's disease have come here tonight to hear Ryan talk about it, to hear some of my experience and to hear hopefully some encouragement for all the exciting things that are happening. And we'll hear about that from one of our sponsors tonight, Acadia Pharmaceuticals. So that's. Thank you all for being here.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thank you.

[Willie Geist]

Also, like to point some of the other funny scenes that I've seen tonight. Shout out to all the people who didn't like their first picture and got at the end of the line and came all the way through again. Raise your hand if you. I took two pictures. Good for you. Yep, there they are. And I'm not gonna mention any names, I really am not going to, but a couple of old flames didn't know that they were here separately tonight and met each other back in the room.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Nothing.

[Willie Geist]

It's not going anywhere. But just know that there's some tension in the room tonight. That's it. That's the end of my story. So you know Ryan Reynolds, he's a man who needs no introduction. You know that his latest Deadpool movie, Deadpool and Wolverine, was the single highest grossing R rated movie in the history of movies. It made $1.3 billion. That movie was all him, all the way. The studio didn't want it. He worked on it for like 20 years to get it made and finally got it made. And the rest is history. You know about all the other things he does, not just the Michael J. Fox foundation, but he's become this business magnate with a football club in Wrexham that has moved up the ladder. This incredible underdog story, you know about the gin, you know about Mint Mobile. The guy just does a little of everything. He's incredible. And I will say, and I won't say it out here because it will embarrass him too much, but he's an incredibly generous guy who always puts his family and his wife and his kids first. And I try to be very sparing with people I know, but I will share this, that a few years ago, a family we knew had a child who was in a lot of pain and was going through a terrible medical situation and loved Deadpool. And I said, this is One time I text Ryan, I said, hey, if there's a picture or a T shirt or anything. And within five minutes, he had sent back, like, a highly produced video of him with the Deadpool suit on, a model kind of thing, and a speech to this child. And that's just. That's who he is. It's the kind of guy he is. He's a beautiful person, a talented person. So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, Ryan Reynolds. It's still in there somewhere.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thank God. I do not like logos.

[Willie Geist]

Hold it. Hold for camera.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, God. Great. Oh, you got me again.

[Willie Geist]

Got you again. A little. Bye, bye, bye. You guys know what we're talking about there? A little Deadpool, right? You know that thing?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, my son, that's all he wants is die. Let's watch Deadpool. Wolverine.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, does he really?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Bye, bye, bye. Yeah. Oh, he loves.

[Willie Geist]

How old is he?

[Ryan Reynolds]

He's three. Yeah. Dad of the year right here. Oh, you want to watch the rated R movie, do ya? Okay, little gipper, get up here with.

[Willie Geist]

I love that. Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Terrible.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, Corrupt him early. That's a smart play.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I was, I was raised on those kinds of movies. It's fine.

[Willie Geist]

100%. Yeah. Yeah. So like I said, I. I first met you, I was looking back today, I think it was like 12 years ago on Michael J. Fox foundation stuff at one of the events or. Or something like that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I was so embarrassed because I remember you said, my dad has Parkinson's too. And I did. I. The dumbest joke. I went, they made a sequel,

[Willie Geist]

but

[Ryan Reynolds]

why would they make a sequel? And I. Yeah, and I regretted it instantly. I regret it now.

[Willie Geist]

And you brought. Yeah, here it is again.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Why? That's not good. You don't need to say that.

[Willie Geist]

But I remember, like, we've talked off camera in ways that have been very meaningful to me about. About our dads, for sure. And you always have stepped out, whether it's with Michael J. Fox foundation or Acadia here with this mortar Parkinson's campaign. Why has this caused, obviously your relationship with your father, but why have you put yourself out there and used your platform in this way on Parkinson's?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, you know, I think, you know, there's so many moments I have in my life now where I wish my dad could see, you know, and I don't get. I don't get those anymore. You know, I think he might have a tough guy. We didn't always see eye to eye. My brother's here in the audience somewhere, and he knows. So there he is right there. Yeah. And, you know, he was. He was a tough fellow. But, you know, as you get older and you look back on things, you ask yourself, was that really true? Did all this happen exactly how I think it happened, or did he have his own story and his own sort of, you know, version of things? And I really. You know, there's so much I'm learning about my dad still. He's been gone a decade, over a decade now. And my relationship with him is. And I know it sounds a little esoteric or a little odd, but it's grown, you know, in a weird way, it's kind of grown since he's been gone. And I think I attribute that to just getting older and growing more of my own experiences and seeing those in my wake up and kind of looking back and going, wow, life is really hard, and it's complicated for everybody. I don't care what your status or position is in life. Everybody's carrying their own bag of rocks around. And my dad certainly had his. And, you know, and I look back and I think, God, he really was going through a lot and must have felt very alone. Part of this, you know, more to Parkinson's campaign is about hallucinations and delusions. And those are two things that my father very much experienced. And I didn't even know it was an aspect of Parkinson's. I didn't know. None of us did. There was nothing that could treat it at the time. And there was not even. Nobody talked about it. People still don't talk about it because 50% of people with Parkinson's have this. And, you know, it really unraveled his life. And I can't think of anything more isolating or lonesome than no longer being a reliable narrator in your own life, you know, and not necessarily being trusted in that way and not really being able to attribute it to anything other than, oh, he's just kind of losing it, or, you know, they would say things like that. And it's like, well, is he. I don't know. There's lucid moments, and then there's these other moments. So, yeah, it's kind of been very complicated. More so than I would have guessed ten years on.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, I mean, I didn't. The hallucination stuff that you're talking about and the delusions, I didn't appreciate it until we started talking about, like, a year and a half ago. And since you started this campaign, the research is that, like, the number of families who see this and now can recognize it has doubled. They go, oh, right, I see. That.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, I get stopped in the street a lot by people who just want to talk about this, you know, Parkinson's and things that they're going through with their own family. And, you know, I'm happy to talk about it. It's like one of the. Especially when I went with my kids, it's very hard to get me to stop because you're with your kids. You want to sort of protect that time. But I'll. If someone asks me about that, I will stop and talk. And if someone asks me about Wrexham, I will stop and talk. As soon as they hear the word Wrexham, my kids go, oh, oh, no. He's going to explain the offside rule. Terrible.

[Willie Geist]

More on Wrexham in a moment because that's absolutely incredible. But you have. When I look at that statistic, you've moved the needle on it. I mean that to be able to take your celebrity and platform and.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

Has to feel gratifying.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. That's an easy trade. Like, that's a joke. Come on. You know, that's an easy thing to throw out there and raise awareness for. I mean, you know, I put my own colonoscopy online. You know, the video footage. Imax.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, it was a lot in imax.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Christopher Nolan was there inside. Sorry, you'll cut. You can cut that out. I'll go back to the beginning.

[Willie Geist]

There it is. Yeah, that's a good end point for us. There's the edit. Wow. So we've talked a lot, too, about Michael J. Fox kind of being a North Star for both of us. When, like, when you hear your dad has Parkinson's, you're like, okay, what do I do? Oh, right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Michael J.

[Willie Geist]

Fox.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right.

[Willie Geist]

And we both ran the marathon.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yep.

[Willie Geist]

It was very. I looked today.

[Ryan Reynolds]

This is why. This is a good man right here. Most people who run the marathon, like, it's. Especially men, they're like, what was your time? And I never like to answer that because I'm always like, you really just want me to ask you what your time was? So let's just skip to your time, you know? And I've had more than a few people go. Come up to tell me about their marathon time, because they know it was a minute faster than mine. And I'm always like, yes, you're the guy who did it. I remember you did it. You had bronchitis and you had a torn ligament. And they go, no, I didn't. I go, right. That was me, mother. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

So that leads me to my next question is, what was your time?

[Ryan Reynolds]

What do you bench Willie, no. This is as little as I can, to be honest.

[Willie Geist]

Well, this is how brave I am, bringing it up. You got me. I looked it up today. Really? You got me by eight minutes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Eight minutes. And that hurts. You still had a good time.

[Willie Geist]

That hurts.

[Ryan Reynolds]

So you hit four.

[Willie Geist]

Sub four.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That gets you into Boston. Man, that doesn't matter. You just. All you have to say is sub four. Yeah, sub four. Me and this spry two and a half hour runner, we were neck and neck right up for the first hundred feet. And then the rest

[Willie Geist]

came out a little hot. Did we?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, man.

[Willie Geist]

A little hot fade.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I was experienced. I knew enough about it because I only ran it once, but I think it might be the last time I ran. But I remember seeing a guy dressed in a full Batman suit running past me and I thought, we'll see him again. And we did. We did. But you know who. I'll never forget seeing Michael, though, in that run. I'm sure you saw him, too. He jumps out on the street. You know, normally that'd be terrifying, but it's like jumps down the street and you're like, oh, that's Michael J. Fox. And I have wind beneath my wings right now.

[Willie Geist]

Totally.

[Ryan Reynolds]

He's like tur. He just creates a turbo mechanism in your body and you just fly.

[Willie Geist]

That's amazing you said that. Because that's when you're running up Fifth Avenue. And I remember having a thought. I don't think this is gonna happen. It was a good try, and I don't think I'm gonna finish.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I know I'm gonna die, like 100 yards from this.

[Willie Geist]

Fifth Avenue was uphill in a cab. Doesn't feel like it.

[Ryan Reynolds]

We know Fifth Avenue is uphill.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. And we know the Queensborough Bridge is the tenth previously undiscovered tenth circle of hell. Just. Just. It is. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

It looks so innocuous when you're driving over.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's a pretty bridge.

[Willie Geist]

But somebody came up and said, hey, somebody wants to say hello up there. So I just kind of slogged over. And like you say, Michael comes out of his apartment on Fifth Avenue and he's on his cane. When I saw him, anyway. And I gave him a big, gross, sweaty hug. And then I reached for his wife, Tracy. And Tracy was like, I'm good.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I'm good. Yeah, back off, guys. I know.

[Willie Geist]

That's enough.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, no, no, same thing. I absolutely ruined his silk bathrobe, whatever it was. No, he was. He was. Came. Michael. I owe a lot to him because, you know, my dad was a guy that never. I think my dad said the word Parkinson's maybe three times in my entire. In his entire life that I. That I. That I knew of, didn't talk about it. My dad was Archie Bunker incarnate. And. And I, you know, he. He was a very prideful man. Difficult man at times. Stubborn as hell. But when Michael came out and talked about it, you know, that gave so many people license to, you know, sort of feel less alone. My dad didn't get my dad talking about it so much, but I could tell something shifted for him that he thought, wow, if that guy. If Michael J. Fox, one of the biggest movie stars in the world, can not only, you know, also have. Carry this disease with him every single day, but devote his entire life to raising awareness and talking about it to create a massive foundation that is designed to go out of business one day for the best reason. That's, you know, that's pretty. I mean, there's nobody better.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah. One of the other focuses of your mortar Parkinson's campaign is on the caregivers. In this case, your mom Tammy, who's a saint. My mom Jody, who's here somewhere tonight.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And George's here.

[Willie Geist]

And George. Yeah, they're all here.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And evidently, two of your exes. No, not mine.

[Willie Geist]

Not mine, not mine.

[Ryan Reynolds]

No, I wasn't really listening backstage. I was working my way through the eight gallon hummus that is apparently in my rider.

[Willie Geist]

We're gonna just pause real quick here because we both walked into our dressing rooms and there was a bowl of hummus.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's affected by the color.

[Willie Geist]

It's like one of those barrels of hummus. Yeah, one of those.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like a wine barrel. I want to know the person who loaded us up with that and thought they'll finish this. Like, who doesn't finish this before a show? They have ladles like Low Tide and cold Coney island in our room. You're just like, I don't know. I don't know what to do. Are we off to war? What's happening here? I don't like this.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah. So if anybody wants hummus, there's plenty backstage. Or plenty backstage.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Or 120 individually wrapped Werther's toffees. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

Somehow we got from your mom to hummus. Let's go back to your mom.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's a natural transition.

[Willie Geist]

It is, it is. But just talk about within the context of this campaign, what your mom has been through.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, my mom has been through a lot. You know, I think caregivers everywhere and, you know, some people call Them caregiving partners or, you know, some say caregivers. You know, it's. They've. People have different terms for it, but my mom, yeah, she was a caregiver. And it's a very difficult job. It's a very isolating job. It's a. You know, you're. You are. It's sort of like you both have it, you know, and especially when you're dealing with someone like my dad who didn't talk about it, you feel extra alone, you know, in it. And I really felt for her. And we all, you know, man, I swear, I. I wrote this line into a movie years ago, but boys always come back for their mama. And, you know, my three older brothers and I, we really circled the wagons around her and, you know, made sure that, you know, particularly when my dad was still around, that she really had her own space to go to and her own kind of, you know, pools of fulfillment to hold onto and kind of, you know, lean on and. Yeah, it's real thing. Caregivers fatigue is tough, man. It's very. A lot of people go through it. I know there's people here who are going through it. It's tough for both sides, really.

[Willie Geist]

But, yeah, love to Tammy and love to Jody, our caregivers, that's for sure. And for the people in this room, by the way, Acadia is a great resource more to Parkinson's campaign. You can look it up if it's affecting you or your family. It's a good resource and a good place to go.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, talking about it, too. It's really about bringing it up to healthcare professional and just sort of broaching the subject because some people don't know about this part of it.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, good on you for focusing on it. Thank you. Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Ryan Reynolds right after the break.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wasn't that delicious? So good.

[Willie Geist]

Your bill, ladies.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I got it. I got it. No, I got it. Seriously, I insist. I insisted first. Don't be silly. Silly? You know me, silly.

[Willie Geist]

People with The Wells Fargo ActiveCash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay, okay. Rock, paper, scissors for it. Rock, paper, scissors. Shoot. No.

[Willie Geist]

The Wells Fargo ActiveCash credit card. Visit Wells Fargo.comActiveCash terms apply. Hi, I'm Julianne Moore. I learn a lot from every role,

[Ryan Reynolds]

but some things stay with me more than others, like the impact of Alzheimer's disease.

[Willie Geist]

It's important to think about brain health now because there's so much we want to do.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Acting early to protect brain health may

[Willie Geist]

help reduce the risk of dementia from

[Ryan Reynolds]

conditions like Alzheimer's disease.

[Willie Geist]

Ask your doctor about your risk factors

[Ryan Reynolds]

and for a cognitive assessment, learn [e-mail] this is a paid partnership with Lily. I'm Hannah. I've lost 75 pounds in 20 months with GLP1s/ diet and exercise on RO. I've gone from struggling to run a mile to running farther every day. You can access FDA approved GLP1s online. Get the support you need to reach your weight loss goals. Go to RO Co Weight to see if you qualify. I'm a paid ROE partner. 20% average weight loss in one year in non diabetics with obesity or overweight with a weight related medical condition versus 3.1% in placebo arm Rx only. To stay informed about serious side effects, go to ROE Co Safety.

[Willie Geist]

Welcome back. Now more of my conversation with Ryan Reynolds. We mentioned Wrexham a minute ago. There was a big match today. I know. It didn't.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, Willie.

[Willie Geist]

I know. Wait. I know it didn't go there the way you plan, but can we put, can we put it in perspective?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, yes. Let's put it in perspective. Mom. Sorry. I, I, I, I get very angry when I'm, when I'm angry.

[Willie Geist]

He's about to walk, so he's about, he's shutting down.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I can see. No, I'm good. I'm with you. Yeah, let's put, let's put it in perspective.

[Willie Geist]

Here's the perspective.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Just a 5 to 1 loss at home in front of everyone.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah. Oh, no. He's crying.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, no.

[Willie Geist]

The hummus is coming back up. Up.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, no. So sorry.

[Willie Geist]

Why was there posto in it?

[Ryan Reynolds]

I digress.

[Willie Geist]

But you, you and your buddy Rob bought a share in this team. Was it five years ago? Ish.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Six years ago. We didn't buy a share. We bought the whole team. We bought the whole.

[Willie Geist]

Okay, they bought the whole team.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It was insane.

[Willie Geist]

They bought the whole team.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. It was a very silly thing to do.

[Willie Geist]

A team that was nowhere near the Premier League. You guys know football. It's, that's, that's the top. And you guys are now knocking on the door of the Premier League.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Premier League.

[Willie Geist]

And you were like four tiers below

[Ryan Reynolds]

that, or so we were as low as you get. We were close to a beer league when we started. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

So the obvious question is, what compelled you over there?

[Ryan Reynolds]

They just call it a league, right? Just a league.

[Willie Geist]

So what compelled you guys to buy this Soccer club, I don't know.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You know, honestly, it was. Sports is like some of the most romantic storytelling there is. Like, it really. It really is. And Wrexham was the third oldest football club on earth. And it was in this town that it just seemed kind of like a town we could kind of learn about. And we wanted to really kind of. We wanted to be a part of their story instead of pulling them into our story. So it was about kind of like listening, which I think Rob is very good at, I'm very good at, I think we love listening. We love hearing people's stories. Everyone has a story. I remember early on, one of my fellow producers was struggling to find some of those stories. And we were hanging out with the vicar in Wrexham. I think his name's David. And he was saying. He was talking a little about the church. 500-year-old church. You know, Yale is buried there, you know, a lot of history. Incredible. And, you know, the producer's saying, yeah, it's just struggling to find some of these stories. And the vicar says, well, I'm off. I've got to go. Thank you so much. It was so nice meeting you both. And I said, wonderful to meet you. Is it where you're off to? And he said, I'm off to an exorcism. He left, and producer keeps going. Yeah, it's just sort of. I don't know, I can't find any stories. And I'm like, he's going to pull a demon out of a kid. Run, don't walk. So, yeah, it was wild, you know, but it turns out it wasn't all demon hunting. You know, the town is one of the most beautiful places that I've ever been. And to see that a town could be revitalized, so revitalized simply by feeling seen, it sort of speaks to just how people can be revitalized just by feeling seen. And, you know, Wrexham, five years ago, that was a town that really wouldn't. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who would say the name Wrexham. And now they can't say it without an eating grin on their face. I mean, literally, it's. It's like a transformation unlike anything else. This year alone, 74 different countries visited Wrexham. To see this club play football, I mean, that's unbelievable. And there's a Wrexham everywhere. There's Wrexhams in Pennsylvania, in every state, in New York, in everywhere you look, in every country in the world, there's a Wrexham, you know, and these are just towns that feel like they've been forgotten. Or lost. And. And industry left them and they sort of lost that sort of mutual feeling of belonging to something. And the football club doesn't work unless the town works. So Rob and I, this isn't a TED Talk. Like, we don't know what we're doing. Like, we might walk out with a little microphone on our face, but we have no clue. And I'm telling you, that is the greatest, like, ace card to have in any industry is to say, I don't know. And to listen, you know, when they talk about politicians flip flopping and stuff and they're like, this is. He's flip flopping again. I'm like, flip flop, baby. I want the guy with the nuclear codes rethinking things. Like, I want that. Like, I love that. I think that's a very. That's a strong personality trait to, you know, reconsider stuff, you know, so really, I just think it's like this whole experience has changed us as much as it's changed this town. And, and the town. If we create a successful football club that just makes it to the Premier League and is like this huge deal, but the town fails, then the whole thing is a disaster. I don't care. They cannot work without each of them. The high tide raising both boats. So what's been amazing about it is it's worked so symbiotically. Like the town this last year had £190 million in tourism revenue. Like these people coming to Wrexham, a steel town. Ex steel town, ex coal town. You know, they lost so many people in this Gresford disaster in a mining accident, which has sort of been what the town has kind of been known for. And I'm just so blown away by it all, the whole thing. To just sit there today, even today, mom in a 5 to 1 loss, you look at it and you go, if we could have said five years ago to anyone in this town that in five years we will be knocking on the door of the Premier League with Wrexham, this town, this team. They would have not. They never would have believed it. They would never have. They just would have said, that's a fantasy. The fairy tale. So it's been one of the great loves of my life. Truly.

[Willie Geist]

You know, what you did, you just put it in perspective, son.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thank you. Very nice. Yeah, thank you. Willie, you're the friend. You're my friend, but you're also the dad I never had.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, no.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And the dad I don't have. Sorry. No pressure, buddy.

[Willie Geist]

It's a heavy burden. Heavy burden. What was the Reaction in Wrexham initially when they heard movie star Ryan Reynolds is buying the football club. Was there skepticism? What did they think when you rolled into town?

[Ryan Reynolds]

God, they were like the guy from La La Land.

[Willie Geist]

Why?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Why? I don't know. I think they were just really baffled. And you know, what was great was I was also really baffled. So we were all in it together. I mean, I was like, I. I don't know anything about the sport with the kicking, but we quickly learned and fell in love. Now I'm sitting up at 2 in the morning watching like, you know, like some like country I've never heard of playing the World cup, like qualifying round. I'm like, no way. Let's go. You know, Name I can't pronounce.

[Willie Geist]

What's funny too is now you're like this ambassador for football, something I'm sure you never would have imagined five years ago when you didn't know anything about the sp. As the World cup comes here and you're bringing Wrexham to the US For a little tour this summer.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

I mean, how cool is that?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Playing Yankees Stadium. I mean, we're playing, you know, Liverpool at Yankee Stadium in July. And I mean, it's just wild to, you know, this is another thing I wish my dad could have seen. Like, he just would have. I don't know. He would have been blown away. I think it would have. Meeting his daughters and, you know, and seeing some of that stuff, I think would have just. Just changed his whole life, really. Yeah. Be just incredible. You know, he's. And he was never, you know, he's never a cynical guy either. He's tough guy, but he was never a guy that was like, don't do that. You know, you know, I'm going to crap on your dream or anything. He was always like, you know, go fly, man. Do it, do it. You know. So, yeah. Yeah, it's cool.

[Willie Geist]

And welcome to Wrexham. The. The series has won 10 Emmys, I think is the number at least something jewelry there?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. I'm not expecting that, you know. I don't know. Yeah, everything. Everything like that you do. That's great. I think in life is kind of for you in a weird way. Like when you make like a show or a movie or anything else that you love doing, it's. It's. You do it for yourself and it's almost like you look up and then the outcome is there and you weren't expecting it. Everything I've ever done thinking, oh, I hope it does this, or I get this when I. If I give that I'll get this. It doesn't work. And if it does work, it's kind of, like, unsatisfying in some way or sort of like. So I don't. Wrexham, the show. Wrexham has just been a privilege to work on. But, you know, in that all these Emmys are happening, all these things are happening, these accolades, and people are loving the show. We were never expecting the same with Deadpool. I remember Disney coming into the edit room in Deadpool and Wolverine and just going like, hey, we'd like to release the movie now. Give it to us. I was like, no, I'm still playing with it. You know, we were just tinkering and playing, and you just were so in love with it. And Shawn Levy and I, the director and my creative partner, we were just like. We wanted to stay in that playground forever. It was like that on all three Deadpool movies because it was just so beautiful and fun. There was no outcome. We weren't thinking of doing anything, breaking records or anything. We were hoping it would return the investment made in us. That was it. But, yeah, Wrexham feels a lot like that. We didn't want anything. It's just been amazing to be part of it.

[Willie Geist]

Those are the best experiences, aren't they? When you weren't really expecting anything and then all of us come back to

[Ryan Reynolds]

you and seeing some guy in a Wrexham jersey who's from Paterson, New Jersey,

[Willie Geist]

like, come on, what's happening, man?

[Ryan Reynolds]

I suddenly want a selfie with him. I'm like, hey, can I get a selfie? Just want a real quick. Sorry. I know you're with your kids, sir.

[Willie Geist]

So what we've learned tonight is if you're short on time, don't stop Ryan, and talk about Wrexham, because it's going to be. It's going to be a minute.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You will be begging to leave after. By hour four. You're like, is there an intermission in this? Or what? If I stuff a 20 in your mouth, can I go? How does this work? That's how they're going to hear to be. It's going to be terrible.

[Willie Geist]

So, Rexit, we're. We'll talk about Deadpool in a second, but this is. Rex was just one of these things. I was just talking about that. Don't. You've got your movie career. And then we've talked about aviation tonight. Mint Mobile. You've got a mobile phone company.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Do I.

[Willie Geist]

You've got an F1 team, a sailing team, a football club. We've talked about Rush to judgment, for

[Ryan Reynolds]

all the facts are in on the F1 team. You know, little piece, little, tiny.

[Willie Geist]

Okay, we'll leave that responsibility there. And then maximum effort, which is your plan. Deadpool, of course, the name, which is the marketing company that Ryan founded and runs with a bunch of talented people. So how. I'm curious, given all that, is there a thread through all those things? In other words, what do you look for when you take on a project like that that has nothing to do with movies?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, I think it's easy to look at those and go, oh, you're winning. But there's. There's like 50 times that many things that didn't work. So, you know, we tend to focus as a society on, like, we Instagram our lives, right? Like, look, I'm amazing, but, like, none of you saw the sugar panda ad campaign I did about a cocaine addicted cartoon polar bear and his friend the panda who was always bleeding but was trying to get your kids off sugar? You know, like, no, there's a lot of misses, but there's also, you know, that's the sort of love of it. The through line is storytelling. Like, we love storytelling. Bringing people together in smart, fun, and unexpected ways is literally the motto of maximum effort. And bringing people together is the best feeling on earth. And if it can be a job as well, like, let's go. I'm in. I'll punch in right now. I mean, watching, you know, when you sit in Wrexham and you're watching these supporters come into the stadium, you know, it's just like here, you know, one person is a liberal, one is, you know, a Tory, and one's a laborer, and that's conservative and, you know, sort of liberal. And, you know, they come in and they put. They're wearing the same shirt, they sit next to each other, they put their arms around each other, and then they start chanting the same filthy songs. And to me, that's heaven. Like, that's actually like the thing that's so missing everywhere in life right now is this, like, you know, like. Yeah, just kind of putting it, the identity politics aside for a minute and just going like, hey, you have a pulse. Hey, I have a pulse. Like, let's have pulses together and watch something really amazing and beautiful together. And I think that that's like, so, you know, so much of what we do is the through line is storytelling and really. But bringing people together through storytelling. Like, things that really touch our soul as a people don't. Aren't polarizing, you know, they're the things that really we all have in common, you know, and the things you don't. It doesn't surge clicks online to talk about these things as much as it does things that are polarizing or divisive. So I don't know. I think there's a really scalable business in bringing people together.

[Willie Geist]

In a weird way, it occurs to me that you occupy spaces where people come together, which is sports, everything, movies. I remember I interviewed you right after the massive success of Deadpool a couple of summers ago, and you said it was just about dumping buckets of joy over people's heads. You just want people to enjoy it and have fun. And there was no agenda to it, really.

[Ryan Reynolds]

No, it's. I think it's like. It's a bit like, you know, we did this documentary on John Candy, and I really love John Candy for so many reasons. And, you know, yeah, he's the best. It's Uncle Buck, you know, I mean, he's a guy that really brought people together. He's a guy that you knew was a good person when nobody was looking. And there's something about him and his life, but really more than that and Deadpool and Wolverine, this sort of ties back into that, which is that there's nothing people, I think, like more or love more than seeing somebody or something we desperately missed but didn't know we missed. And John is a bit of that, I think, in the world right now. And, you know, in Deadpool, Wolverine, to me, that was Wesley Snipes. You know, this is a guy that's redemption at its best. Him coming in as Blade in that movie was one of the best, best feelings to me in the world. Sitting at comic con with 6000 nerds watching him show up as Blade, and none of them knew it was coming was, you know, like, the elation in that room was like a feeling that you just never, ever want to give up and look down. And that's not. You know, that isn't a business. That's just a feeling. And feeling is storytelling, right? Like, that's what we always say. Sean and I always say when we're making movies and we've made three together. We made Free Guy, Adam, Project, Deadpool, and Wolverine. And each one is based on a feeling. Yeah, it's like, I think. And everybody relates to that, right? Like, it's less about, like. Well, the logic is this, this, and this. It's like, no, the feeling. We want people to walk out of that movie theater feeling much better than when they walked in and they made a big investment in us. You know, they maybe got a babysitter they paid for parking concessions, they sat down. They did a lot of stuff, you know, to get there and give you two hours of their time and money. And they should walk out of there feeling better, not worse. Yeah. So you know. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

You mentioned the John Candy doc, I Like Me, which is a line of his from Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

[Ryan Reynolds]

You'll remember.

[Willie Geist]

I didn't realize until I watched the doc and then I saw you and Letterman talking about it. The amazing Prospector Theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut,

[Ryan Reynolds]

if you've been there. Prospector's awesome. Yeah, it's a great theater.

[Willie Geist]

I didn't realize what an influence John Candy had on you. And then after watching, I was like, oh, there it is. Like, he's funny, but there's a sweetness to it. And yeah, he was your guy.

[Ryan Reynolds]

He was my guy. I mean, I don't know. Growing up, he did it all. First John can. He owned the Toronto Argonauts. That's a football club. Football. Like this way.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And you know, he, he. He was a trailblazer in so many ways. And you know Dan Aykroyd, who was one of the hardest people on Earth to track down and get an interview with Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray. I wouldn't. I would wish trying to get an interview on my worst enemy there. Yeah, you go get them. Good luck. They're just elusive as hell. But Dan Akro gave probably the most beautiful eulogy I've ever heard in the history of eulogies, because it was so about John, not about his John, or even your John, or, you know, it was about John, and it was selfless. And it's hard to make a eulogy selfless, I think. And Dan Aykroyd gave this eulogy. It was just so beautiful. I was so glad he said yes because I didn't have a live recording of it. So we had to voice dub it with AI at first just to hear what it would sound like. And it was so much like Dan Aykroyd that I felt dirty. So I was like, I must find Dan Aykroyd. And I found him eventually and he allowed us in. And he just called out of nowhere and went like, what's up, kid? You want to. I hear you're looking for me? I was like, yeah, I would love to interview you for this John Kennedy documentary, sir, if you'd have me, that would be great. He goes, I'll tell you what, kid. You come out here, you stay at my place, you spend the night, we have dinner together in the morning. We do the interview, you get the F out. Sir. Yes, sir. Yes, Mr. Ackroyd, I will be there.

[Willie Geist]

And that's the way it went out,

[Ryan Reynolds]

like, to a Prescriptive. That was how it went. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

So the Bill Murray piece, we share this. Bill Murray did this show years ago, and it was kind of a watershed moment for us because when he agreed to do it, it, like, opened the door. And the next day, like, Letterman's guy called and Bill Murray and Seinfeld's guy called and all that. But to get Bill Murray. And this is true. I think you probably went through this, too. He has from the 80s, a 1-800-number. Does he still have it? That you call and leave a message, and if he's interested, which he's not, he will call you back. Well, did you go through that experience?

[Ryan Reynolds]

No. Mine was a Greek shipping company. What? Yes, it was a Greek shipping company. I left a voicemail. I didn't buy it. And then I left another voicemail. And then it got badgery, like, a lot of voicemails. And then he did call, finally.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

But he opened with the line. He said, ryan, who would you say is the godfather of the spit take? And I was like, I'm sorry, what now? Is this Bill Murray? Yeah. Who's the godfather of the spit take? And I was like, I. Oh, God. I would say that it may have been. And he was like, Danny Thomas by. You know. I was like, no.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, no.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. And I was like, oh, God, no. And I kept calling him back, and finally he answered again, you know, and, yeah, I basically got him to. With the help of my son in a video. I sent him a video of my son saying, do the damn interview, Bill. And he finally called back and said,

[Willie Geist]

yes, good on you for exploiting your child to get the interview. Oh, it's a tough business.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's the exploitation that almost anyone would condone.

[Willie Geist]

No, it's a tough business.

[Ryan Reynolds]

No. 100%. The child exploitation Society of America was like, no, you get a pass on that.

[Willie Geist]

If it got you Bill Murray, you're good.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's fine. He's not making a phone somewhere in another country. So your kid's fine if he's doing that.

[Willie Geist]

If you haven't seen the John Candy doc, It's incredible. And get a lot of awards talking rightfully so.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, it's been really great.

[Willie Geist]

I want to hop back quickly to Deadpool because that. Talk about seminal moments to me. And that was 10 years ago, February. That came out. So it's February 16th. The first one. And I don't think people appreciate what it took to get that movie made. And there are all these moments along the way where it's just not gonna happen. Including you, like, going to the altar and being like, I'm about to do this other movie. Can we do Deadpool instead? And they're like, no, I know.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Can you imagine if you could go back in time? If I could go back in time, I'd invent pants, to be honest. And, boy, would I be wealthy. But you're all wearing my invention today. But, no, if I could go back in time. So we're. Weird tangent. My brain went on there, and I didn't have an aviation yet, but the. Yeah, no, it was. It was. It was one of those moments that I just. We really harnessed a lot of help from the Internet. You know, the Internet was very vocal about it, but it was. It got that moment of like, you know, hey, I gotta go do this other movie. It was Green Lantern. And they were like, yeah, you go do that. And that didn't work very well, but I still held out hope. And then it got to be borderline terrorism. Some absolute Yahoo leaked the test footage we shot onto the Internet, which, if you ask me, was disgusting. And we're still looking for justice there. But the Internet seemed to like what they saw, demanded a Deadpool movie. And we had a green light within, like, 24 hours. So while we continued to be vigilant about finding this perpetrator, we had ourselves a go movie so elusive, so we had to put the search on hold. P.S. it was the One Armed man, and we shot the movie, but we shot it on nothing. And it was the greatest lesson and creative lesson of my life. Because anytime you use, anytime there's too much money and too much time, you murder creativity. It just really kills it. And Deadpool had none of that. We had no time, no money. We had this miniscule budget. I gave my own salary just to put it back on the screen, just to. Just to make it, because I just couldn't believe I got to finally do it. And we just hammered down on that suit making. We wanted to make the best super suit in any movie ever. And I think we did. And it was. I mean, yeah, it's been great. Speaking of my son, he loses. I mean, I once have put that thing on in front of him, and he.

[Willie Geist]

You did?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, yeah, of course. I have to at some point, you know. Also, P.S. i stole the suit, so. But, yeah, I mean, it was. Come on, there's Nothing better than that.

[Willie Geist]

What did he think?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, he has his little like, you know, Amazon.com suit on and he's just like out in the field just doing like air karate kicks. And like he feels so good about himself and every time I watch him I'm just like, I want to recapture that feeling. Like I want to live in that feeling of like being a three year old out in a field doing karate kicks in the air. Clearly like not gonna be able to take on even like a slug out there, but like living his best life. It's just like, it's such a beautiful.

[Willie Geist]

And what is think when he sees dad in the actual costume, he kind

[Ryan Reynolds]

of loses his marbles. He can't believe it. The problem is when I take the mask off in the movie, I have scar makeup on and like hideous, you know, so he's always like, ah, you know, so when he watches the movies, he just can't wait for me to put the mask back on.

[Willie Geist]

I still am a little stuck on the three year old watching Deadpool. Anyone who's seen it. But that's okay, that's okay.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I don't let him see the hardcore parts, okay? I just let him see like the opening numbers, which are dance and a lot of that kind of stuff. And then he gets really obsessed with that stuff. So what? Don't call any authorities.

[Willie Geist]

They're actually waiting outside.

[Ryan Reynolds]

The first movie I ever saw in a movie theater was Stand By Me. Rated R. Yeah, yeah. Then Dune, I think that was rated R. Dave. The David lynch one.

[Willie Geist]

I was Beverly Hills Cop. My mom can attest. Jody, that's a good mom. Yeah, right.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's a hardcore movie.

[Willie Geist]

I learned a lot. I learned a lot that about drug trafficking, head bombs.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, totally, totally, totally.

[Willie Geist]

So Ryan, what did you know about Deadpool that it seemed like no one else knew or the studio didn't understand. Why did you think it could be what it became when no one else saw it?

[Ryan Reynolds]

I think I honestly just thought he was this kid. He's like Joy. He's like this Joy ball, but so acerbic and dark and you could kind of, you know, play in all kinds of mediums. But also he was aware that he was in a comic book. So if he was aware that he was in a movie, you can kind of get away with anything. Like the sky's the limit. So mischief to me is my mistress. So I love mischief, you know, And April Fools is the biggest holiday in our house. Is it really like, oh my God, every toilet is saran wrapped like don't put your shoes on, because there's gonna be a crab salad that's been on my dashboard for four days inside those slip, just waiting for the little piglets to get in there. No, it's. I love mischief, and that's what that character is, and that's what, you know, draws me to him over and over again. But you're always smuggling in a message or, like, a feeling and something that actually means something, you know, redemption, you know, feeling kind of shame, or. The first one was about shame. The second one was family. The third one was redemption. You know, how we all deserve that moment of redemption. You know, we're not. We're never our worst moment, nor are we our best, you know, as much as we'd like to think we are. And I mean that. A lot of people think they're their worst moment and they're not, you know, and a lot of people think they're their best moment, and they just need to take it down a notch. So, yeah, Deadpool represents a bit of that.

[Willie Geist]

I think it also. We've talked about the sport. Came along at a good moment, too. There'd been so many of those Marvel movies, and it was like, can someone, like, take the piss out of this a little bit? Right?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, my God.

[Willie Geist]

There you were.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. It's one of my favorite moments in Devil. Wolverine is like, when I look at. At Wolverine and I'm like, you know, I say something like, welcome to the Marvel Universe or something like that. I look back at him and I go like, you're joining at a bit of a low point. And I go back to him, and it was one of my favorite moments. Watching the head of Marvel watch that for the first time. It was, like, the greatest. That's the movie. I was like, can't we just shoot him watching that for the first time? That's the good stuff.

[Willie Geist]

Stick around for more of my comedy conversation with Ryan Reynolds. Right after a quick break, I wrote

[Ryan Reynolds]

a little song to remind you.

[Willie Geist]

Choice hotels get you more of the experiences you value. The Cambria Hotel's got it all. A rooftop bar. Have a ball. Cocktails up here. Feel just right. It's Cambria.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Amazing.

[Willie Geist]

All right, bring a date, your teen,

[Ryan Reynolds]

or even your mom. Book [e-mail]. see you on the roof.

[Willie Geist]

When I lost my sight, I found a way to win.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Bank of America champions blind soccer player and coach Antoine Craig. And everyone who dares to ask, what would you like the power to do bank of America Proud to be the Official bank of FIFA World Cup 2026, bank of America, NA Member, FDSE. Mud, sand, snow, the track.

[Willie Geist]

Different surfaces, same truth.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Every ground is our proving ground. Ready, set, forward.

[Willie Geist]

Welcome back now to the rest of my conversation with Ryan Reynolds. You were talking about your son. You're a very busy man, but one thing I do know about you is your wife and your kids are first.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Always.

[Willie Geist]

And I remember the last interview we did at a. A mutual place where we like to go. You pulled up to the interview. It's a summer. You were in your, like, your Jeep, the top was off and I think there were, like.

[Ryan Reynolds]

My shirt was off. Yes, that was. Yeah, that's just how I drive. Really?

[Willie Geist]

That's right. And you kept going. Yes, it's me.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I never understand guys that are in their shirt off. I'm like, that's uncomfortable. Don't tell me it's not. You're sweating like a pig. That vinyl stuck to you. When you get out of that car, your entire bucket seat's coming with you.

[Willie Geist]

There's no way.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Sorry. Go on, go on.

[Willie Geist]

Just peeling off the seat. Yeah, but I think you had three car seats and you said, I'm sorry I'm a couple minutes late. I was doing camp drop off. Like, you people don't appreciate that. I feel like. Cause they're like, oh, you're just a movie star and everything. But that is the thing.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Trust me, my kids don't go, oh, he's a movie star.

[Willie Geist]

But that is the most important thing in your life.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, no, it is. I don't know, I just like, my kids are, you know, my wife and kids are everything. I mean, that's. That's it. You know, these are. This is the, you know, when we finally close our eyes to this mortal dumb show, those are the ones that are going to matter. You know, you're not going to be like, God, wish we got a season 14 Wrexham pickup. Right as I'm like flickering away, I'm going to grab my kids and go, I wish I delivered more value to the shareholders. Dad was great.

[Willie Geist]

But what joy in terms of balance in your life does being a dad bring you?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, I mean, it's. There are so many fact, like, you know, I don't know, everybody feels the same way. I think about their kids in the sense that, like, you just watching them eat, you think about how many kids don't get that opportunity to just eat. You know, you watch all those little things are such, like, you know, sober reminders that drag you back down to earth and remind you to be grateful, I think. Like, I know that's so kind of corny, but I really. I feel like having kids is like a version of prayer. Almost like you're kind of, like, great. Just gratitude is, like, everywhere, all the time. Because they're healthy or they're alive or they overcame something that maybe you couldn't, you know? So I don't know. Our job is to, like, make them or help them be, you know, better than the version that we thought of ourselves at that age. You know, I never thought of myself as someone who could do anything out there. Oh, please. Get it.

[Willie Geist]

What a moment, too.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Don't wait on us. Just grab it.

[Willie Geist]

No, no, it's fine. We'll wait. Who is it?

[Ryan Reynolds]

If. If you're not happy with your current carrier. I know a guy. I see you, lady.

[Willie Geist]

This was all an elaborate setup for a Mint mobile plug.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And there you'll all be receiving a $50 voucher and norovirus on your way out. It's like a cruise. It's like a cruise.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, but you were saying about your children.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Speaking of. Whenever I think of Neurobias, I think of my kids. Yeah. No, I just. I can't believe I get to spend time with them. I can't believe I'm aware of that. You know, I feel like we all sort of say that and kind of miss it, but, like, at the same time, I'm completely fallible, and I get obsessed with my work and I get all those things, but, like, they won't let me leave like that. Like, they pull you back in. And, you know, I. Yeah. I'm just really, really grateful every day that I get to kind of learn from them. And, you know, when you have kids, too, you kind of heal a lot of that crap you hold on to from when you were a kid. You know, those things that you think, oh, didn't work out exactly right. And you have, you know, there's no replacement on Earth for experience. There's just nothing that trumps it. It really. That's. It. Like, experience beats youth, beauty, any of that stuff. And having kids, really, you just rack up the. There's that great line from Indiana Jones. It's not the years, baby. It's the mileage, you know, and it's so true, though. It's that, you know, it really is the experience you get on this great little journey we're all on and applying that to your kids and being. I just love being honest with them and telling them everything, you know? I mean. Yeah, I don't they see, especially with me and, you know, my wife and I work in showbiz, so they see a lot of winning and stuff like that. So you always have to sort of remind them, like, we lost, we lose. You take hits, you miss, you try stuff and fail. And like, you can't be good at anything unless you're willing to be bad at it. And that's hard for a kid. Right? You know, and it's hard for me still. And I say that to them. And I just, I love that I get to heal, that I get to sell the things that I wish someone said to me at that age, you know, like, go suck at something.

[Willie Geist]

Seriously, though.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Go suck at something. Go pick up an instrument and make, make it, make a sound. It will be terrible forever and then one day it won't. You know, pick your musician. They all sucked at first. Pick your idols. They all sucked at first. You know, they took a risk and like, so you kind of. You're telling your kids all that stuff and you're like, well, maybe I will play that 15th century Dutch impressionist in that movie. And then your wife goes, I don't know if you want to do that. And I go, you know what? You might be right. That would be a disaster.

[Willie Geist]

You were great in that, by the way. Yeah, you were great.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thank you very much. Yes. Vincent Ben. Go by Ryan Reynolds. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

The thing I would say too, is for you, it gets better as it goes. I mean, when they.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Are you 16 and 18, your kids, 16 and 18.

[Willie Geist]

16's here tonight. He's my favorite guy to hang out with.

[Ryan Reynolds]

What's up, George, bar none.

[Willie Geist]

Work with a lot of great people, got a lot of great friends. There's nobody I rather hang out with.

[Ryan Reynolds]

No, right, I know. Isn't that crazy? Yeah, same with me.

[Willie Geist]

It keeps getting better.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I know. I'm like constantly bribing them. Oh, you want a bicycle? Well, let's go. It's a four hour drive over there. We're going to have plenty of time to chat.

[Willie Geist]

And you finally got the little boy energy in the house with your son, which is nice.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That was a mistake. We did not mean to do that. Swear to God. We never found out until they, you know, come out the old chute. I'd never call it that. The chrysalis.

[Willie Geist]

There's going to be a lot of cleanup.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I'll workshop that when I'm in the edit. What's up, guys? I'm here to work at NBC again. NBC? Yeah, on today with my friend, the guy the guy's master. No. Yeah, it's. Yeah, we weren't planning, but boy howdy, has that been a treat.

[Willie Geist]

Fun, right?

[Ryan Reynolds]

There was the first hour. I was like, oh, no. Like, I'm the youngest of four boys. I was. You know it, right, Terry? I was a moving target. He's a cop. My dad was a cop. Do you know how many times I've been handcuffed to a fridge? Oh, what's that, Tara? Oh, that's pepper. Pepper spray. Like, yeah, that's.

[Willie Geist]

That was just a little fun around the house.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, yeah. You know, like, hit my uvula. This time we were psychotic. Like, I think we were all psychotic.

[Willie Geist]

And then I love you say your mom would call the cops to break up the fight.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Like, yeah, like, you know, a relative would show up in the front lawn. Like, you know, oh, no, that's okay. Yeah, no, we're definitely screwed now. So much worse than a cop. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, terrible. I think for a while, you and Blake had it where if you're working on a movie, she's not and vice versa. Is that still how you do it? So somebody's always.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah, we don't work at the same time generally. You know, last year, two years ago, it got screwed up. Cause there was a big strike. And, you know, that's life. And that strike was necessary and important for so many, you know, families in this business. I mean, it was. Yeah, it was a huge, huge moment for the industry and kind of a wake up call as well. And so that forced us working at the same time. But no, for the most part, you just always want the kids to feel anchored to something and someone. We are home, you know, so we can all travel somewhere and shoot a movie in far off lands. But we're home. So we go together, you know, and we realize that's a obscenely stupid privilege to be able to do that, because, like, a lot of families can't do that. A lot of crew members can't do that. So we're really lucky to join, to go, you know, do the work that we love doing and storytelling in different ways, but also take the family with us. And they learn so much. And my kids get to see a lot of far off lands and places and these press tours for these movies. Disney's like, you can bring an assistant along. And I'm like, yes, I got one this tall.

[Willie Geist]

How do you. Because we grapple with this a little bit too. How do you keep them grounded and tell them that that experience that you're talking about is exceptional and that it's not normal.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And it's a constant dialogue. You know, It's a constant dialogue, but you're also constantly exposing them to everything else. You know, the other side of life, you know, for so many people, is so different, you know, and it's. My kids, thankfully, are very. You know, one thing we got right is that each kid is compassionate, and they have real empathy. I mean, they cannot handle suffering and knowing they can do something about it. So, like, you know, our kids are always doing lemonade stands, always doing everything to raise money for, you know, sick horses or dogs or adoptions or things. And I'm just like, oh, my God, we've done something right. You know? Like, if you could ask me, like, 15 years ago, I'd be like, yeah, they'll probably be practicing rolling cigarettes at 5, you know? Yeah, that's good. Yeah. But no, they're, like, much better people than I am, that's for sure. Yeah, they got it figured out.

[Willie Geist]

The spotlight, obviously, has its benefits, but it can be hard, too. You and Blake, for the last year and a half, have gone through this very public legal proceeding. How have you guys managed that as a family?

[Ryan Reynolds]

You know, it's sort of like anything else. It's a great. You know, you really see kind of the illusion behind so much of this stuff, you know, digital life versus real life, you know? But really, without getting into it too much, I'll just say I've never in my life been more proud of my wife, really. Like, people have no idea what's really going on, you know, and that's a. And I've just never in my life been more proud of someone with that level of integrity that brings that with them and carries that with them in everything that they do.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And that's unique, I think, in this world, especially these days, where it's, like, cool to be cruel sometimes, you know, it's like a different world out there. And I think holding your own, you know, and especially in the work, too, like, that's the one gift. Greatest gift that we have, is we get to go tell stories. And what kind of stories are you gonna tell? What do you want to leave people with? What do you want to share with them? You know, what do you want them to feel and think about afterwards, you know? So, again, like, it goes right back to bringing people together. Like, you know, you don't meet. You don't meet the age we're living in with more of that kind of causticness, and, you know, it's just a. It's an odd time, I think, for a lot of people, especially kids, too. Right. Like, you know, the digital world is very scary, you know, when you have kids. And it's. I think it's got to change these algorithms and those kinds of stuff. You know, we've got to really find ways to protect people because it's not going anywhere. You know, it's going to be a part of our lives. We have to integrate it on some level, but it's just not real a lot of the times. And it's. Yeah. You see a lot of kids, especially teenagers, who are really, really broken by this. I don't have teenagers yet, but I know that that's coming, you know, and these are discussions we have every day with our kids.

[Willie Geist]

You know, it's a huge part of parenting right now. Massive managing that. Well, I appreciate you sharing that. Thank you. We do have a couple of audience questions we want to get to. Before we do that, I want to ask you about a milestone coming up for you. I mentioned my wife and I having our 50th birthday party in here. Yeah, that's coming for you pretty soon, brother. Oh, boy.

[Ryan Reynolds]

We're having a check your prostate party.

[Willie Geist]

Have you started? Because I found it was a good sort of like a milestone of like, how am I doing? How's not just career and all those things, but family and am I fulfilling my obligations? Am I reaching my potential? All those things. Do you think about that stuff or not yet?

[Ryan Reynolds]

No, I do. I think about that stuff all the time. I mean, I don't know. When I was 20, I was like, God, I'd love to live till I'm 25, literally. That's what you think.

[Willie Geist]

So.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I don't know. I think at the age I'm at 49 now, I'm like, I really think that knowing yourself is the greatest, greatest superpower on earth, you know, And I. That's a. Yeah, right. I mean, that's like. It's. There's something about that that's so powerful and like, you know, knowing your own, you know, limitations, knowing your. The things that make you exceptional in some way. And every single human being has a story and has, you know, something about them that is truly exceptional. I really believe that. And, like, that comes out at this age. You start to really kind of rest in that. In a way that you didn't when you were younger. You're kind of trying on personalities like shirts, you know, you're sort of trying to figure out who you are and try to. How do I Fit in and how do I, you know, and after a while you're like, well fitting in. Like, that's okay. Like, I want to do it this way and I. Like, this brings me joy and I'm not hurting anyone and I just want to do something. So I think those things come with age. And I think that that's the beauty of it. I don't know, you know, I. It's just. I don't shy away from it. I don't know. I kind of like it. I'm getting my gray hair now. I'm like, yeah, yeah.

[Willie Geist]

Giving a. A little less is nice too, right?

[Ryan Reynolds]

It really is. Well, you understand that like, these things pass, right? You're like, you're a little bit less apocalyptic about something that happens and you kind of understand how to, you know, feather the needle a little bit and just kind of. Yeah. Be present in the room still and kind of not really lose your mind. So it's a good time.

[Willie Geist]

I can give you the guy's name here if you want to have your 50th. It's top notch.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I do not. If I get the damage deposit back, we've done something very wrong.

[Willie Geist]

Let's get in. Before we release Ryan into the wild, let's get a couple of your questions in. This is from Sandra Delaney in Washington. Are you here, Sandra? Sandra? Oh, no, she's gone. She walked up. Oh, there she is. Hi.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Is it Sandra? Is it Sandra or Sandra? Sandra. We were both doing.

[Willie Geist]

Which one?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Sandra.

[Willie Geist]

Thank you, Sandra.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Hi, Sandra.

[Willie Geist]

Here's Sandra's question. Ryan. If you had to trade careers with one of your characters for a year, any character in any of your movies. Okay.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Uh huh.

[Willie Geist]

Who would it be? And which would you absolutely refuse to become in real life? Wow, that's kind of a deep.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Sandra.

[Willie Geist]

Sandra.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Throwing fastballs. You have to question yourself. They had to get him to translate. I don't understand. I mean, come on. God. So if I could pick one character

[Willie Geist]

that I just could like, that would I like that guy. I like the job he had.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, wow. That's a good question. I don't know. I really. You know what? I think I liked this character Andrew in the Proposal.

[Willie Geist]

Maybe.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I don't know.

[Willie Geist]

There you go.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Maybe it's because your name's Sandra. I was thinking of that. It might be that. I don't know. Yeah, I like that one. He was a good boy. Yes. It wouldn't be Deadpool. I know people might think that.

[Willie Geist]

There you go.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Exhausting.

[Willie Geist]

Thank you, Sandra. Great question.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, and one. I'd want to stay away from. Oh, I probably. I mean, I know you think I'm a sacred Green Lantern, but. No, I think that's Deadpool. That's the one where you're like, oh, oh, boy. Persona and real life start to get too. And you want to kind of step away from that for a second. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

Andrew and Deadpool, there's your answer. Thank you for the question.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Deadpool.

[Willie Geist]

Amy from Newtown, Pennsylvania. Where's Amy? Somewhere.

[Ryan Reynolds]

She's an old towner.

[Willie Geist]

There she is.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Hi. Amy reopens.

[Willie Geist]

How do you stay energized all the time? Ryan Reynolds with such full Amy.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I am not energized. I'm on a stage in front of hundreds of people right now. This isn't a fair comparison. The experiment's not controlled. I stay energized. I don't know. I mean, not being a drug addict, that's important. I try to, you know, eat. Well, are you bored yet? You know, I try to grab five hours when I can get it. I don't know. I guess we're all just hurtling through space on a giant rock that's on fire, trying not to kill each other. Yeah, I think so. Right?

[Willie Geist]

Yes.

[Ryan Reynolds]

We're doing it.

[Willie Geist]

Surviving. Surviving, baby.

[Ryan Reynolds]

As I say to my kids every day as they go to school, I say, disappoint one person today. Disappoint one person today. Please, little people, pleasers.

[Willie Geist]

This one's from Kenneth in Staten Island. Kenneth, we're. Kenneth is here somewhere. Where is he?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, he's got a fellow here.

[Willie Geist]

Kenneth says Deadpool is the only superhero movie my wife likes. Should this worry me? Kenneth. Kenneth, look out now.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Aye. Maximum effort. Oh, my God. And what's her name? Bernadette. Burn to death. Maximum effort to you, my love. I'm having trouble winking.

[Willie Geist]

This is a big one. Might be tough. I gotta think about this, too. Jay in Morrisonville, New York, asks both of us, what is your favorite movie of all time? Favorite?

[Ryan Reynolds]

Can anyone guess mine? Oh, my God. Not my own movie.

[Willie Geist]

That would be.

[Ryan Reynolds]

What a clam I'd have to be if I was like. Well, I really love my early work in Bl. God, Sorry. My. I do that to my mom. My mom sniffing. What's that? What? No. The last five minutes. By the way, exquisite. But no Planes, Trains and Automobiles for me, Willie.

[Willie Geist]

Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Don't say Lawrence of Arabia. We know you're lying.

[Willie Geist]

My first favorite movie was Beverly Hills Cop, and then it became Boys in the Hood.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Willie Geist]

When I Was in college.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Very good movie.

[Willie Geist]

And I love royal Tenon bombs a whole lot.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, who doesn't like a Wes Anderson? Gene Hackman. A Wes Anderson.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, my God, Hackman. How great is he?

[Ryan Reynolds]

That's a good one. Good question.

[Willie Geist]

And that brings us to the. The end of the questions. We're going to. We're going to release you back in the wild. We are.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Before what was mine. Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

If I could. No, no, no, that's fine.

[Willie Geist]

Back to John Candy. Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

That is the movie. If I could just live in that movie, I would be so happy.

[Willie Geist]

I love that movie.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's such a good movie.

[Willie Geist]

Both of them.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Steve Martin, John Candy.

[Willie Geist]

So beautiful.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Wow.

[Willie Geist]

Ryan Reynolds has been incredible. Tonight. We're going to.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Really. Guys. Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to go. Thank you. I. I love that. I love that. My brother was the only walkout. Go ahead.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, he's gone.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Just leave.

[Willie Geist]

Terry walked in. Terry's beating the traffic.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Oh, he does? Okay, good. Yeah. You have good pictures of him. Thank you. Oh. Oh, that's nice. He's not a monster.

[Willie Geist]

Before we all leave, we're going to take a mug shot. So Ryan and I are going to stand up here with our amazing photographer, Mark, who's here. If you have a mug, or even if you don't.

[Ryan Reynolds]

I have a mug.

[Willie Geist]

Stand up and we're going to do a little shot hot right out here.

[Ryan Reynolds]

All right, NBC. Guys.

[Willie Geist]

Guys. Ryan Reynolds, everybody.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Thank you so much for coming.

[Willie Geist]

Get home safe. Thank you. My big thanks to Ryan for spending so much time with us that night. And of course, thanks to our friends at City Winery New York, our host and sponsor for these evenings. Welcome to Wrexham. Season five premieres on May 14, and we just got the news. It's been renewed for three more seasons. Ryan got a lot more to do and a lot more going on, as you heard. Maybe another Deadpool movie. We'll see. And my thanks, of course, to all of you for listening again this week. If you want to hear more of our conversations with my guests every week week, be sure to click follow so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday Today every weekend on NBC to see these interviews with your own two eyes. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit down podcast.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Welcome to Verizon Small Business days as a business expert meets Patty of Patty's Diner. They're looking through Patty.

[Willie Geist]

Patty's tech and plans and, oh, Patty scores great deals on business, Internet and

[Ryan Reynolds]

one talk, plus a free 5G phone score.

[Willie Geist]

A meeting with a Verizon business expert,

[Ryan Reynolds]

April 27 through May 10. Call 1-800-483-4428 or go to verizon.com Small business available for select 5G phones. New line device payment agreement in my vids playing with at least $5 a month. Add on spending required Applicable credit applied to account over agreement term up to 36 months. Trim supply offer ends May 10, 2026.