Ryan Reynolds is living with anxiety.
The ‘Deadpool’ star has suffered with the crippling condition his “whole life” and there have been times during his career where he felt as though he was “gonna die” before doing an interview or stepping out on TV.
In an interview on CBS show ‘Sunday Morning’, he said: “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.
“When I would go out on, like, Letterman back in the day, I was nervous. 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 is gonna happen!”
Revealing how his anxiety attack eventually dissipates, he added: “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.’ 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!’”
The 45-year-old actor – who is married to actress Blake Lively, with whom he has three daughters – believes his problems with anxiety stem from his upbringing with his father, James Reynolds, who was a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman.
The ‘Free Guy’ star shared: “My dad was a tough guy. He was good in many ways as well, but he was tough on us. This is not meant to be some sob story – everyone carries their own bag of rocks around and I am no different in that regard – but growing up in my house, it was never relaxing or easy and I know that, throughout my life, I’ve dealt with anxiety in different ways.
“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but anxiety is also a great fuel. I mean, my God, it’s the anti-complacency pill, but it’s also something that you need to manage.”