Ryan Reynolds Opens Up About His Lifelong Struggle With Anxiety

The transformation of Ryan Reynolds over the years has definitely turned a lot of heads, but has also garnered the Hollywood star a whole lot of fans, too. There's certainly no denying that he's one of the hardest working actors in the entertainment industry with a long list of credits on IMDb, along with plenty of future projects in the pipeline. From his roles in movies such as "Green Lantern" to the "Deadpool" franchise, Reynolds has become a mainstay in Hollywood. He's also married to Blake Lively, is a father of three children, and juggles his family duties with the other business ventures he has — including his very own brand of gin, Aviation American Gin. If that weren't enough, he's also the co-owner of the English soccer club, Wrexham (unfortunately, he's not the head coach in a "Ted Lasso" kind of way). 

That said, Reynolds recently explained his reason for taking on so much work, telling The Wall Street Journal Magazine, "I will do that at the cost of my own well-being sometimes. I fixate on things. That's sort of the engine of anxiety. I lay awake at night, wrapping and unwrapping every possible scenario. I slept at a perfect right angle for so many years." His words certainly don't come as a surprise for many of his fans, especially since he's been opening up about his life long struggle with anxiety more and more.

Even though he's got a flourishing career, millions of admirers, a loving family, and a supportive wife in Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds admits that what you see in front of the camera is a far cry to what he sometimes deals with on a personal level. Speaking to CBS News, Reynolds admitted that he's dealt with anxiety his entire life and that he sometimes feels as though he has two parts of his personality. He explained that whenever he would make public or guest appearances on talk shows back in the way, "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 said. "But 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.'"

Reynold's confession is relatable on every level, as are his jokes on Twitter. Back in November 2021 when Dwayne Johnson posted a photo that said "Ryan Reynolds uses his mom's Netflix account," he responded with, "In fairness, my mom uses my OnlyFans account."