Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds recently shared some insight about his latest role as DeadPool and how the unlikely hero helped him through some of his most difficult times.
The 39-year-old actor opened up to Men’s Health about how having a sense of humor can help people, including himself, in their darkest moments and even serve as a way to aid them back onto their feet. “I understand the idea of filtering pain through comedy.” Reynolds said after the unfortunate death of his father, James C. Reynolds.
As the interview progressed, he told the magazine about James’ last days and how his family was cracking jokes as a way to comfort him. He also admitted his admiration for the way his father had gone, even to the point of saying, “If I could have the same death as my father, I would do it right now.”
“In my dad’s dying moments, we were making him laugh. We were all in there together, me and my brothers, just joking with him. And of course we end up busting each other’s chops. I recommended that the doctors raise Dad’s dose of Dilaudid in order to make my brother more tolerable.” -Ryan Reynolds (Men’s Health)
In honor of his father, who passed away at the age of 74 after a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease, Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively (The Age of Adaline, Savages) named their daughter James back in 2014.
The highly anticipated release of DeadPool will be on February 12th in the US (dates may vary depending on location).