Ryan Reynolds is not just a comedy star but is also renowned for his witty humor in real life. But when faced with a mocking insult at the expense of Andrew Garfield, the actor had no option but to become serious.
Each year, Variety pairs actors together for a filmed chat where they talk about their craft, their experiences in the industry, and all sorts of other things that come up. Called Actors on Actors, it has some interesting pairs — such as an upcoming chat between Andrew Garfield and Ryan Reynolds.
That’s one interesting combination, right?
Well, not everyone was happy with the pairing. One X/Twitter user took to the platform to offer their opinion on the match in a since-protected tweet, seemingly criticizing the upcoming segment’s quality that would be, in their opinion, diminished by a comedy-centric actor like Reynolds talking about his funny roles.
“Andrew Garfield talking about playing a husband and father who’s [sic] wife decides to forgo cancer treatment and Ryan Reynolds talking about playing Deadpool.”
The tweet draws a distinction between comedic acting and dramatic acting, the implication being that the conversation match-up is poor, and while everyone is entitled to an opinion, this is one opinion that didn’t go over well with everyone. Ryan Reynolds himself became aware of the tweet and responded, giving his two cents on the situation, letting the one who posted the polarising criticism and everyone else who agreed with the opinion that comedy isn’t as “effortless” as it looks.
Ryan is quick to praise Andrew’s performance, calling him a “genius.” He then goes on to offer a well-considered defense of comedic acting, saying that both disciplines are difficult — but for different reasons. Dramatic acting is difficult because the audience has to see and feel the work that goes into it, but comedic acting is the exact opposite, where if the audience can see the work that goes into it, it falls flat. Dramatic acting “feels visceral and effective” and it’s because the audience is meant to see the difficulty behind it. In contrast, Reynolds finds comedic acting is “meant to look and feel effortless.”
Users on X agreed with Reynolds, taking to the platform to show their support. Much of the commentary directly discussed the role of comedy and drama in acting, and the work that goes into each. The claim that comedy was only meant to look easy resonated with users:
While everyone is entitled to free speech, the attempt to mock comedy as a lesser art form and insulting Reynolds in the process didn’t sit right with ardent fans of both the genre and the actor.
It’s clear the original tweet struck a nerve, for both Ryan Reynolds and many comedy enthusiasts. Ryan’s response underlines just how much the actor has thought about his craft, from the emotion required to sell a joke to the behind-the-scenes work necessary to put all the parts together. As always, art is subjective. People enjoy different things. Not everything has to be for everyone, and it’s fair to prefer drama to comedy or action thrillers to cozy mysteries.
While it’s fair to have an opinion, it doesn’t seem right to use one actor to attack another — especially in the context of Actors on Actors. Sometimes, the juxtaposition in experience is fertile ground for an interesting and engaging conversation, with differences in perspective adding depth to a conversation. Where there are similarities, they can be discussed; where there are differences, they can be explored. This is a vital point that the original tweet apparently failed to consider but was addressed beautifully by Ryan’s response.