During an interview with Rob Mac for GQ published Tuesday, Ryan Reynolds recalled how he was hospitalized for a month during the 90s when he was 18, after being hit by a drunk driver.
“When I was 18, I left a bar and I’d had a beer. I walked back and I looked at my car for a second. I thought, ‘You know what, I’m not going to drive anywhere. Even if it’s four blocks home, absolutely not.’”
He explained,
“Instead, I turned around, started to cross the street,” he recalled, “and I was run over by a drunk driver. He hit me so hard. his car was not operational.”
He went on to thank Dr. Meek at the General Hospital for taking care of him. The accident took place in Vancouver. At the time of the crash, Reynolds had just started his acting career and had appeared on a season of teen drama Hillside and the fantasy series The Odyssey.
More about Ryan Reynolds accident in the 90s
This is not the first time Ryan Reynolds has opened up about the accident and spending time in the hospital. During an interview in 2019, the actor quoted a different age and said,
“I was 19 in Vancouver, Canada — drinking age is different there — and I’d had a couple of drinks and I didn’t want to get in my car, obviously, because that’s insane. I walked home, and on my way home, I got hit by a drunk driver. I was like, ‘Thanks karma!'”
Considering his previous accident experience, Ryan Reynolds was empathetic to a stuntwoman who died in August, 2017 on the set of his film Deadpool 2 . The actor at the time tweeted that he was “heartbroken, shocked and devastated” and while dedicating a tribute towards the deceased’s family.
Deadpool 2 director David Leitch at the time shared a statement to People and said,
“I’m deeply saddened by the loss of one of our stunt performers today. No words can express how I and the rest of the Deadpool 2 crew feel about this tragedy. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and loved ones in this difficult time..”
The stuntwoman was identified as pro motorcycle racer Joi “SJ” Harris. Harris was reportedly a stunt double for Zazie Beetz. As per Deadline, Deadpool 2 was Harris’ first film as a stunt performer. She was not wearing a helmet during the scene since her character does not wear a helmet.
Edited by Soujanya Shapur