Ryan Reynolds: “The spotlight can be a very stressful place to be”

Ryan Reynolds has had his share of major blockbusters, including The Proposal and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and with that of course comes tabloid rumors.  No famous actor or actress is seemingly able to avoid them, so Reynolds, who was not only named People’s Sexiest Man Alive this year but also went through a divorce from actress Scarlett Johansson, isn’t an exception.

Nonetheless, despite his stardom Reynolds tends to avoid the more sordid headlines that his fellow actors have aimed at them, and Reynolds says that’s the result of a simple tactic: ignoring them.  He tells USA Today, “That’s the thing I learned early on: No matter how preposterous it is, I don’t say a word (about tabloid stories), ever. If you start doing it, you have to do it every time. I let it do its thing and watch it come and go. I’m pretty good at not looking at anything.”  In other words, to paraphrase the police: what you don’t say can’t be used against you.

Part of Reynold’s strategy involves simply staying out of the spotlight, as the actor is well-known for disappearing off the Hollywood radar in between films.  He explains, “I don’t think you need to be in the spotlight that much. The spotlight can be a very stressful place to be. People can unravel. To vanish, to have everyday regular life experiences — it informs your work, it informs everything. It allows you to sustain this a lot longer. This world can be very fleeting. And if you’re not cultivating other aspects of your personality, you can be screwed very quickly.”

Ryan Reynolds stars in The Change-Up, opening today.