Ryan Reynolds reflects on complicated relationship with his father

Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds has opened up about his “very complicated” relationship with his late father, who passed away in 2015 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Speaking to Variety.com, Reynolds shared that his father, from a middle-class, blue-collar background, communicated in a stoic, gruff manner, likening him to Clint Eastwood.

Reynolds explained that over the past five years, he has re-evaluated his relationship with his father. “People tell themselves stories, and we have some responsibility as we grow older to question that a little bit,” he said, adding that he didn’t fully understand himself until around the age of 40. He often reflects on whether his father was as difficult as he had once believed or if he was romanticizing their past.

The actor also discussed how his father’s illness further strained their relationship. He recalled how his father’s battle with Parkinson’s caused him to lose touch with reality, making strange, conspiratorial claims. Reynolds said the person he knew and grew up with was no longer present as his father struggled with delusions, which only deepened the emotional divide between them.