How Ryan Reynolds’ anxiety has helped him to parent: ‘I’m always grateful for it’

Director Shawn Levy urged Ryan Reynolds not to let his children only see his victories. Photo / Getty Images

The Deadpool and Wolverine star shares how he appreciates how anxiety has helped him at certain points in his parenting and professional life.

Ryan Reynolds thinks it is important for his kids to know he “loses”.

The 47-year-old actor - who has James, 9, Ines, 7, Betty, 4, and a 15-month-old baby whose name and sex haven’t been disclosed with wife Blake Lively - will never forget the parenting advice he was given from Deadpool and Wolverine director Shawn Levy, who urged him not to let his children only see his victories.

He told co-star Hugh Jackman in conversation for People magazine: “Shawn Levy actually told me something that stuck with me forever, that people tend to only talk about their wins. But I think it’s really important for your kids in particular to know that you lose.

“You don’t get what you want all the time. Something you worked on really hard didn’t work. You feel like you said something embarrassing today, you did something that didn’t sit right with you. It’s just so important that [your kids] see that and they don’t just hear, ‘Oh Dad nailed it.’ Because you lose so much more than you win.

Ryan Reynolds has four children with actress Blake Lively. Photo / Getty Images

“It’s really stuck with me.”

The Free Guy actor also spoke to his pal about how he’s found battling anxiety helpful when it comes to being a parent and relating to his children.

He said: “Now I love that I have anxiety, I love that I’ve had anxiety. Because when I see my kids experiencing some of that, which is probably genetic, I know how to address it in a way that is compassionate, that actually allows them to feel seen. I know that I can’t just fix it. And I can communicate all that stuff to them and with them. I’m always grateful for it.”

Reynolds’ experience of anxiety has also helped him in his professional life.

The actor said: “My job benefits greatly. People who have anxiety are constantly thinking into the future. You’re constantly: ‘What if this happens? What if that happens?’ You’re always telling yourself stories.

“So when we’re shooting Deadpool and Wolverine, I’m not just shooting the movie, I’m also sitting in the audience as a cautious critic going: ‘I don’t like that. I don’t buy that.’ So anxiety creates that ecosystem of awareness that I wouldn’t otherwise [have].”