The first half of 2011 wasn't the greatest time in Ryan Reynolds's life. The actor's two-year marriage to Scarlett Johansson came to an end, and his movie Green Lantern, which seemed like the start of a lucrative superhero franchise, but didn't meet box-office expectations.
But none of this seems to have dampened the Canadian's spirit. And now things are looking up. Reynolds, 34, long a mainstay of Sexiest Man Alive lists, has recently been spotted with another Hollywood beauty: Charlize Theron. And the Vancouver native has a new movie, The Change-Up, that plays to his natural comic strengths, while showcasing his serious acting chops.
Backed by Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin and The Hangover writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, Reynolds portrays an irresponsible playboy who switches bodies with his childhood friend, a married father of three played by Jason Bateman. Although Reynolds goes through a wide range of psychological states for his role, it would be a stretch to say that making the film inspired him to contemplate living a different life; he seems pretty happy with the way things are.
You've been friends with Bateman since you made Smokin' Aces (2006) together. How often did you try to copy each other's mannerisms in The Change-Up ?
Very little. We kind of made a pact early on that we weren't going to do impressions of each other. We're not skilled enough to do that, so we just captured the essence and lived with that. Initially, when we were first approached about this, I didn't care which role I did. I just wanted to be a part of it, and I liked them both.
Body-switch movies aren't usually this adult, or this tolerable for adult audiences.
Big (1998, starring Tom Hanks), I think, could be called a body-switch movie, and it's probably the best of the bunch. They tend to be very saccharine, and you can't push anything too far. It also depends on who you're switching with. When you've got a guy who's basically leading the life of a B-list porn star and another guy who's a straight-down-the-middle family man, things are going to happen that are not PG-13.
So, was it good for you - all the raunch?
I love it - making them. I haven't done an R-rated comedy since Van Wilder (2002), and that's been a long time. When you get that freedom, you can do and say anything you want, like people do in actual life. You can have a little bit more fun. For me, it's just about that: It's just not being restricted in what you can do.
You've been in a lot of comedies, you're quick with jokes in real life and you're from a culture that seems to consider a sense of humour part of its national identity...
And vulnerability! 'Cause it'll make us more likable.
But what about branching out more into purely dramatic roles - or at least those that don't involve superpowers, anyway.
I've done pretty serious drama. I mean, I haven't played Billie Holiday in a movie as of yet, but there's been Buried (2010), Fireflies in the Garden (2008). Safe House (2012) is coming out next year.
Tell us about Safe House .
It was great. Shot it in South Africa, was there four-and-a-half months - something like that. I'm kind of like a young CIA agent. A housekeeper is what they call those guys; very low level, don't do much, they just man houses in random countries around the world for visiting agents and interrogating suspects. One day, the mother of all bad guys walks in; Denzel Washington plays him. Everybody gets killed except for he and I, and then I'm responsible for moving him to a safer location.
Then you're making R.I.P.D. (2013) with Jeff Bridges, which is taken from yet another comic book. It's about zombie detectives . Are you one of the undead cops?
We both are. Jeff and I are both dead. I'm recently deceased; he's been doing it for 200 years, so he's still a Wild West sheriff-type. It's really going to be a lot of fun.
There's also been talk of you re-teaming with Sandra Bullock, your co-star in The Proposal (2009), for another comedy.
I'm not sure about that one. We're trying to figure something out for some day, but it's not on the books yet.
And there's supposedly a Green Lantern sequel in the works. But after the first film's underwhelming box-office reception this summer ...
I'm happy with how the first one turned out. Origin stories are really tricky to do, and I definitely thought it was good, considering that.
I've no idea [if it will return] It's all in the movie gods' hands. I'm just a hopeful actor.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
Special to The Globe and Mail