Art & Entertainment

Ryan Reynolds Opens Up On Battling Anxiety: Feel Like I Have Two Parts Of My Personality

The 'Deadpool' actor admits that he was so anxious before appearing on TV that he thought to himself, "I'm gonna literally die here"

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Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds.
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'Deadpool' actor Ryan Reynolds appears to be one of the most confident individuals in Hollywood, but in a recent interview, the actor divulges that his public image is extremely different from the anxious person he is on the inside.

According to People, the 45-year-old actor has struggled with anxiety since he was a youngster, as he revealed on 'CBS Sunday Mornings.'

"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," he said.
The outgoing Reynolds shown on film is frequently a last-second shift from his genuine nature, according to Reynolds.

"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's gonna happen!" he said.

Reynolds added, "But 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!' "

Reynolds initially talked openly about his anxiety in May, and he credits his family with inspiring him to do so.

"Part of it is that I have three daughters at home and part of my job as a parent is to model behaviours and model what it's like to be sad and model what it's like to be anxious, or angry. That there's space for all these things," he said, as per People magazine.