Ryan Reynolds Talks Anxiety And Making It “Useful” In Hollywood

Ryan Reynolds has discussed the development of his anxiety and utilising it as a “creative engine” in his career.

Speaking to hosts of the SmartLess podcast, Reynolds admitted that controlling his anxiety in a “useful” way could be difficult. Asked if he was afraid to get rid of his anxiety when he associates it with success, Reynolds answered that it was a “dangerous tight rope walk”.

“I see anxiety as a of sort of an engine, in a way. Sometimes for creativity, but it also has it’s, you know, it has it’s cloud and shroud of darkness.” Explained Reynolds. “I’m grateful for my anxiety, which has allowed me to kind of transmute it a little bit and make it useful. Which I think is always great.”

He added that despite the positives, there would always be negative side effects. “There’s a lot of insomnia, there’s a lot of sleepless nights where you’re laid awake over analysing everything and it’s very difficult to turn one’s brain off. So then you start to rely on, you know, meditation and all kinds of other things, just to get yourself back to a centered place.”

The 44-year-old Deadpool star revealed that his anxiety began in childhood.

“It started as a kid,” He said. “My dad was never an easy person to be around. He was like a skin covered landmine. Like you just never knew when you were going to step on the wrong spot and he was just going to explode. So it creates a situation where, as a kid, you really try to predict the future.”

Ryan Reynolds is awaiting the release of two films: Free Guy in August and Red Notice in November.

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