Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds is not only one of the biggest celebrities but also one of the industry’s most popular and bankable stars. His organic wit on and off-screen has also added to his persona and is a unique feature of his acting as well. Reynolds has expectedly been part of many commercial blockbusters that have earned him big paydays and superstardom.
But beneath his trademark humorous veneer, the Deadpool actor has confessed to facing many challenges emotionally including battling anxiety for most of his life. This led to him taking a self-imposed sabbatical from films in 2022 to be more mindful of his mental health which had taken an extreme toll on the star.
Ryan Reynolds Reached The Depths of Despair Emotionally
It is hard to imagine that a star with a sparkling and witty personality like Ryan Reynolds has struggled with mental health issues his whole life. The Proposal actor’s persona has served as a mask to hide his true emotions that have challenged him time and again. Confessing publicly to having acute anxiety issues, Reynolds candidly spoke about the toll it took on him even as he tried to navigate his superstardom.
“I’ve had anxiety my whole life really. And you know, I feel like I have two parts of my personality, that one takes over when that happens. “When I would go out on, like, Letterman, back in the day, I was nervous. But I remember I’d be standing backstage before the curtain would open, and I would think to myself, ‘I’m gonna die. I’m literally gonna die here”.
Reynolds went on to elaborate that he would mentally will himself to appear cool, calm, and collected minutes before he went on to any stage and had somehow managed to maintain this exterior over years in Hollywood. But on reaching saturation point, the actor decided to focus on himself and for the sake of his 3 children before it was too late.
Ryan Reynolds Felt That Anxiety Contributed To His Success
Success is a double-edged sword and Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds realized its implications more than anyone else. The Marvel star who is one of the most successful celebrities in Hollywood, took a break from the limelight in 2022 to focus on acute anxiety issues which he has been combating since his childhood. Conversely, the actor also spoke of how his anxiety allowed him to channel his emotions into his performances which brought him a lot of fame and success.
“That’s the dangerous tightrope walk I think a lot of people are on, right? I see anxiety as sort of an engine in a way, sometimes for creativity, but it’s got its own sort of cloud and shroud of darkness.”
Speaking of the underlying effects of anxiety which included insomnia, Reynolds said that he relied on meditation and other stress-busting techniques to counter his frail emotions.
Source: People
