Ryan Reynolds talks growing up in B.C. on David Letterman's Netflix show
Ryan Reynolds shared some of what it was like growing up in Vancouver in a new interview with David Letterman this week, including the fact that he said he was going out to get gas when what he was really doing was moving to Los Angeles.
Appearing on Netflix's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction" Reynolds touched on his stint working at a Safeway, what it was like growing up as one of four brothers and how he thought his home country compared to the U.S.
"As a kid I was looking at Americans as this big, shiny pair of pants down south, and Canada was this little hat," he said.
Reynolds moved out of his parents' home when he was 17 and went to live with his brother. He told Letterman his father wanted him to go to university, something he did when he was 18 to try to please his dad.
"I went for – I'm not even making it up – 45 minutes," Reynolds said, adding that was the day he decided to head south.
"I walked in and I looked around and said, 'Nope.' I went back, got in my old Jeep YJ and drove across the border. I said I was getting gas in Blaine, Wash. I drove across the border and all the way down to Los Angeles….I didn’t tell anybody. There were four boys so one could easily vanish."
His first moments in the new city didn’t go quite as he'd imagined, he told Letterman.
"I got outside the Highland Gardens hotel and got my bags out of my jeep went inside, came back out my jeep was gone – already. Like Welcome to Los Angeles. I found it two blocks away. They stole my doors."
Ultimately he got an agent and was cast in a sitcom, which set him off on the path to the success he enjoys today.
But he said he always had a Plan B.
"If this all ignites in a glorious flame of failure, I can still drive my door-less Jeep back to Vancouver," he recalled saying to himself in his early days in Hollywood.
The interview was done in Reynolds' home, where he lives with his wife Blake Lively and their three daughters. Being the only man in an all-female household is almost the exact opposite of how he grew up.
Reflecting on his childhood, he talked about his relationship with his brothers. While there were what he described as "bare-knuckle brawls" on the lawn, the siblings were close and supportive.
"There were times of real darkness. But I think I found those slivers of light, I think my brothers did too. I think we had each other," he said.
One story he shared was about how he got an earring when he was 12. Reynolds described his dad as "very tough, very very tough on us." When he told his siblings about his plan they told him how they thought his father would react.
"My brother said you're going to die. You're going to show up at dinner tonight. And there will be a messy stabbing death because dad will take one of the utensils and stab you," Reynolds told Letterman.
Undeterred, Reynolds got his ear pierced and showed up at the dinner table that night, prepared to face his punishment.
"I kind of look up, and I look around and I see that all three of my brothers had gotten an earring to sort of save me," he recalled.
"It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. I remember looking around and my mom just, looked like she was about to faint. My brothers just were really trying to protect me in the moment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Iran fires at suspected Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
Iran fired air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones, which were suspected to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
In his new book 'As Long as You Need', hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
DEVELOPING Israel targets air defence system in Syria, state news agency says
Israel carried out a missile strike targeting an air defence unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, state-run SANA news agency quoted a military statement as saying Friday.
Colin Jost names one celebrity who is great at hosting 'Saturday Night Live'
Colin Jost, who co-anchors Saturday Night Live's 'Weekend Update,' revealed who he thinks is one of the best hosts on the show.
NEW From window blinds to motorcycle helmets, here are the recalls in Canada this week
Here are the various items Health Canada recalled this week, including motorcycle helmets, power adapters, and bicycle cranksets.
Opinion 'Sasquatch Sunset' review: There won't be a weirder movie in theatres this year
Rare is the movie that can ride the line between scatological and sublime, absurdist and acute.