Shawn Levy explains the similarities between Ryan Reynolds to Robin Williams
Starting out with a few minor roles in the 1990s, Ryan Reynolds then began appearing in comedies that would help to put his face on the map. Since then, he has largely featured in mainstream Hollywood films, truly rising to prominence as a superhero star, which began when he landed the role of the titular character in The Green Lantern.
After portraying Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009, he took on the role of the character several more times in subsequent years. Deadpool came out in 2016, followed by a sequel two years later. Alongside several short films starring the character, he then went head-to-head with Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine.
It’s now the role most associated with Reynolds, and while the films have been successful, the actor’s performance as the superhero has been criticised by many, who find the character’s jokey persona absolutely insufferable. Still, Reynolds has made a lot of money from his appearances as Deadpool, so he surely can’t be too bothered by people’s opinions on the movie series – Deadpool & Wolverine has literally become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.
It’s clear that Reynolds is known for his blockbuster roles, often taking the lead in these big-budget, commercially appealing movies, as evidenced by Free Guy, Detective Pikachu, and IF. To Shawn Levy, who has directed Reynolds in Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Deadpool & Wolverine, the actor is one of the finest that he has ever worked with, able to collaborate and improvise really well.
The filmmaker even went as far as comparing Reynolds to a Hollywood legend—Robin Williams. When working on The Adam Project, Levy took inspiration from Good Will Hunting, particularly admiring Williams’ performance. He believed that Reynolds also shared some of the same acting abilities that made Williams so impressive.
He explained to A-Frame, “For a movie that isn’t even that old, Good Will Hunting is an all-timer. Everything about it, from Danny Elfman’s lyrical score to Gus Van Sant’s direction to the stellar writing and acting. It’s a movie that makes me feel.”
Levy pointed out one of the sequences that really inspired him when working with Reynolds. “It makes me feel in hell yes, fist-pumping, underdog triumphing moments like the legendary ‘How you like them apples?’ scene to the heartbreak and catharsis of ‘It’s not your fault,’ a scene that clearly inspired me in regards to the final scene with Mark Ruffalo and Ryan Reynolds in The Adam Project.”
He then stated that Reynolds reminded him of Williams, whom he had worked with multiple times. “This is pretty well-known, but Robin Williams’ final line of the movie, that was improvised. ‘Son of a bitch, he stole my line.’ That was not scripted. That was Robin being Robin.”
Adding: “I had the blessing of working with him three times on my Night at the Museum movies, but when your actors are more than mouthpieces for the script, when they are true 360 collaborators and teammates, that’s a perfect example of that. That’s what I always wanted out of my actors. That what I’ve found with Ryan Reynolds.”
