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

"That's the thing I learned early on: No matter how preposterous it is, I don't say a word (about tabloid stories), ever.

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.

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

  1. Trudi Goodman via Facebook

    Well, whenever you don’t want your gig, pass it along to me. Stop whining. No actor I know is working right now, including me.

  2. Morgain McGovern via Facebook

    My friend is a flight attendant with a major airline. Word in the sky is the Scarlett Johannson is a raging bitch. People attract what they are themselves. Sean Penn is a dick too.

  3. Morgain McGovern via Facebook

    He’s a douche. I’m glad Green Hornet bombed. Henry Cavill for ever!!!

  4. Ken Murray via Facebook

    Ryan Reynolds is fantastic. I’ve met him and he was incredibly nice and talked to me for almost a half hour. I know many people who have worked with him and havent heard a single bad thing about him. It was Green Lantern that he was in, not Green Hornet and it couldnt have bombed too badly if the sequel is being written

  5. Ok, sorry. Came off kind of harsh. I’ve worked in the service industry in LA and have friends in the service industry~ I hear things that normal people don’t. I’m sure they’re nice people.

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