Anna Good
Ryan Reynolds always seems to have something funny and snarky to say when in the public eye, but that isn’t always the case, the actor says.
In a recent article from CBS Sunday Morning, the actor opened up about his lifelong struggles with anxiety, saying that it could make him feel like he was two different people at times.
“I’ve had anxiety my whole life, really. And you know, I feel like I have two parts of my personality, that one takes over when that happens,” Reynolds told CBS.
Reynolds continued, explaining that when needed, he could use that anxiety he would feel to channel it into his performances on screen.
The Deadpool actor gave an example of an instance when he felt as if he would die when he went onstage at a 2015 Letterman talk show appearance.
“When I would go out on, like, Letterman, back in the day, I was nervous,” Reynolds shared. “But I remember I’d be standing backstage before the curtain would open, and I would think to myself, ‘I’m gonna die. I’m literally gonna die here.’”
“The curtain’s gonna open and I’m just gonna be, I’m just gonna be a symphony of vomit, just, like, something horrible’s gonna happen!”
He went on to add that when it came down to it, he has been able to tamp down on these anxious thoughts to do what he needs to do for his job as an actor. What he described was very much like dropping into a character’s mind for a role.
“As soon as that curtain opens – and this happens in my work a lot, too – it’s like this little guy takes over. And he’s like, ‘I got this. You’re cool,'” Ryan said.
“I feel, like, my heart rate drop, and my breathing calm, and I just sort of go out and I’m this different person. And I leave that interview going, ‘God, I’d love to be that guy!'”