The Movie Ryan Reynolds Regretted Making — “Maybe It Turned Out Exactly How They Wanted”

From Box Office Gold to Forgettable Flops

Ryan Reynolds has spent the better part of two decades cementing himself as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. With a string of blockbusters under his belt—Deadpool, Free Guy, Buried—and a career gross of over $6.5 billion, he’s mastered the art of balancing sharp comedic timing with commercial appeal. Off-screen, his business ventures, from his marketing firm Maximum Effort to investments in telecoms and sports, have transformed him into a bona fide mogul with the Midas touch.

But for all the hits, Reynolds is the first to admit that not every project has been a gem. Among the well-known misfires—R.I.P.D. and the ill-fated Green Lantern—there’s one film that still makes him wince: the 2015 sci-fi thriller Self/Less.

A High-Concept Idea That Fell Flat

Co-starring the esteemed Ben Kingsley, Self/Less told the story of a dying billionaire who undergoes a radical procedure to transfer his consciousness into a younger body. On paper, it had the makings of a sharp, cerebral thriller. In reality, critics panned it, audiences largely ignored it, and the film barely scraped even at the box office.

Reflecting on the experience in an interview with GQ, Reynolds was candid:

“The movie didn’t turn out as well as I think I wanted, or [director] Tarsem wanted. But, you know, at the same time, I can’t speak for them. Maybe it turned out exactly how they wanted it.”

For Reynolds, flops aren’t a source of sleepless nights. “Movies are an intersection of a number of different talents, and sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t,” he explained, framing the process as part of the unpredictable nature of filmmaking.

Laughing All the Way to the Bank

If Self/Less left a dent, it was hardly deep enough to slow him down. Reynolds continues to command $20 million per film while juggling a slate of business ventures worth millions more. His marketing company alone boasts an annual turnover of $36 million, and he shows no signs of retreating from the cultural spotlight he’s carved for himself.

Following the massive success of Deadpool & Wolverine last year, he has several projects in the pipeline—including a rumored Detective Pikachu sequel—and has even teased a possible role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.

In the end, Self/Less may have been a blip on Reynolds’ otherwise stellar résumé, but his willingness to own the misstep only reinforces the self-deprecating charm that keeps fans rooting for him. After all, in true Ryan Reynolds fashion, a flop is just another story to tell—preferably with a joke and a drink in hand.