Acting is a difficult task. Those who pursue this creative career must first make their character believable for the audience. Portraying someone like Hamlet is much different than playing someone like Thanos. Even playing someone indifferent or someone who struggles with addiction takes different approaches. While fans will debate over which actor has the most range, from Viola Davis to Stanley Tucci, fans are not as divided over actors who portray the same characters no matter what role they play. An actor playing the same character is not the same as an actor being typecast because of their breakout role.
One such actor who is accused of having little range is the ever-hilarious Ryan Reynolds. The actor is most well known for his dry wit, especially in interviews and on Twitter. He was well known as a romantic comedy actor, starring in The Proposal with Betty White and Sandra Bullock. But when he portrayed Wade Wilson/Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, fans began noticing that while he carried much of the comedy in his films, who he appeared to be in interviews and on social media was not far off from when he portrayed a superhero or a good guy. Although, when he played a serious character, like in the romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe, he proved to have more to offer as an actor. Nonetheless, here's why fans think Ryan Reynolds often just plays himself in every movie.
His On-Screen and Off-Screen Persona
One of the biggest arguments for Reynolds playing the same character is that how he appears in interviews and on social media is not that different from his on-screen personas. A look through his filmography can claim that Reynolds often plays characters who are successful, handsome, and brusque. For example, his role as con artist Nolan Booth in Red Notice is surly, handsome, and one of the most successful con artists in the world. Until he teams up with John (Dwayne Johnson) and the Bishop (Gal Gadot), who manage to double-cross him, but he still ends up on top. Even though this is a current example, Reynolds has established himself as a sarcastic and witty person online. Like in this list article from Best Life Online that compiled Reynolds’ funniest tweets, including the time he said he went to Disneyland and couldn’t wait to tell his daughter upon his return. Reynolds is also appearing in MInt Mobile commercials, a company he owns, where his wit is the main star of the commercial.
Superhero / Good Guy Roles
Superhero fans of Green Lantern disliked Reynolds’ portrayal of Hal Jordan because he was arrogant and gave up rather quickly, as Den of Geek explains. Hal is one of the few characters Reynolds plays that isn’t successful or sarcastic. Yet, his most famous superhero persona is Deadpool, a cryptically humored masked vigilante who breaks the fourth wall. While Wade isn’t handsome, Reynolds is still required to be physically buff with plenty of shirtless scenes. What's more, his superhero roles are part of the bigger “good guy” trope in films. The good guy is successful, handsome, and funny. One non-superhero/good guy role Reynolds portrays that meets all these requirements is Guy in Free Guy. Guy is an AI videogame character unaware that he is in a videogame until he meets Millie, and suddenly he has a purpose: to be successful in her mission. Not only does Guy become self-aware, but he ends up saving his entire world while being incredibly handsome and satirical.
Romantic Comedy Hottie
As movie and TV himbos are a product of action flicks, the leading man is a product of romantic comedies. Regardless of how they show up, both stereotypes of men are buff, handsome, extremely successful, and funny. These men play off a woman who is average looking or works a mediocre job, like when Reynold’s portrayed Chris in Just Friends. Chris is a former fat kid who lost a bunch of weight, revealing he’s now super attractive and successful. Because of his massive success, his arrogance comes off as sarcasm. Additionally, because he’s lost weight and is thin/attractive, he can now have any woman he wants, including the girl he loved in high school. Of course, sometimes the opposite is true in film, but more often on TV where attractiveness is concerned, as Vulture describes. In some cases, the leading man will be funny and handsome but less successful, like when Reynolds stars opposite Sandra Bullock in The Proposal. In this particular romantic comedy, Bullock portrays a rigid but hugely successful woman who is at risk of being deported back to Canada. The difference between Reynolds’ romantic comedy leading man roles is that in, one instance, he’s successful, and in the other, he is not.
Tongue-in-Cheek
While Reynolds’ superhero/good guy/leading man roles seem to flow in and out of his off-screen persona, he portrays a father in Definitely, Maybe who is retelling a love story to his daughter. Although the film is categorized as a romantic comedy, the typical handsome, unbelievably successful, and sarcastic characteristics are muted. Even films like Buried, where Reynolds must escape a coffin after being buried alive, or Woman in Gold, where he plays a lawyer, show Reynolds’ range. He even portrays a serial killer in The Voices, directed by Marjane Satrapi, who is unsuccessful, average looking, and somewhat funny. With claims that Reynolds plays the same character in every film, it’s possible his more serious roles are forgotten or overlooked because of his success as a superhero or leading man.