The 41-year-old actor lost his father to Parkinson's in 2015.
Ryan Reynolds is opening up about his “complicated” relationship with his late father.
The 41-year-old actor covers the new issue of Mr. Porter, and inside the mag’s feature story, he discusses his “fractured” relationship with his father, James, and how his “tough” upbringing contributed to his anxiety.
“My dad was a tough guy,” he said of James, who was “a former cop, former boxer [and] full-time landmine.” “Growing up in my house, it was never relaxing or easy and I know that, throughout my life, I’ve dealt with anxiety in different ways.”
While his relationship with his dad was hardly peachy, the actor says that his wife, Blake Lively, encouraged him to patch things up before he died after a long battle with Parkinson’s in 2015. Reynolds and Lively even ended up naming their first daughter, James, after her grandfather.
“It felt right. All family relationships come with some complications,” he revealed. “At the end of the day, it’s easier to focus on the good stuff than the bad. My father died soon after my daughter was born, but he got to see her, which makes me happy.”
As for the anxiety he still suffers with, Reynolds admitted that it’s “also great fuel.” He has the same attitude towards aging.
“I’ve always enjoyed getting a little bit older. You never bemoan a birthday. I like it. It’s getting a little bit more difficult with the stunt work stuff. I find that landing on cement isn’t hilarious anymore,” he confessed. “But I’ve been injury-free for a while, knock on wood. As I’ve gotten older, I’m more comfortable with who I am.”
See more on Reynolds' struggles with anxiety in the video below.
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