Did Ryan Reynolds Learn Anything From 'Green Lantern'?

It's very easy to clown on huge actors doing huge movies that don't work, but in this fickle business, the deeper I get, the more I am just happy to see anyone working. And I hope they learn something that benefits them in the future. That's why I was so heartened to see Ryan Reynolds talking about the major lessons he learned while shooting Green Lantern. This is a film that has become sort of a punchline in Reynolds' very successful career now. But it's not one he takes lightly. As Reynolds said at the 2025 Time 100 Summit, “I learned all the most amazing lessons I could ever have in the creative space from that movie.” He continued, “On that film, I saw a lot of money being spent on special effects, all sorts of stuff. And I remember suggesting, ‘Why don’t we write like a scene the way people would talk? I don’t know, it could be a fun exchange of dialogue that doesn’t cost anything?'”Reynolds said he takes the “lesson” of “character over spectacle” to heart.Finally, he said, “The greatest superpower I ever had in my life, I’m not saying about just my career or anything, was knowing who I am.”These are powerful words for an actor. I think Reynolds, knowing his strengths and how he is, has greatly benefited from his days post-Green Lantern. He's been able to build a brand and develop characters, like Deadpool, who work much better with his philosophy. You can see that character-centric work on the page in his collaboration with writers. Apparently, he's writing one of his own screenplays now, which I think will probably include those talking scenes he created the first time around. Finding out what the audience connects with is a huge part of going on your filmmaking journey. At the heart of every great movie are characters we care about and a story that makes us feel something deep in our hearts. This all makes me excited to see what Reynolds does next.

Apr 24, 2025 - 19:14

Did Ryan Reynolds Learn Anything From 'Green Lantern'?

It's very easy to clown on huge actors doing huge movies that don't work, but in this fickle business, the deeper I get, the more I am just happy to see anyone working. And I hope they learn something that benefits them in the future.

That's why I was so heartened to see Ryan Reynolds talking about the major lessons he learned while shooting Green Lantern. This is a film that has become sort of a punchline in Reynolds' very successful career now.

But it's not one he takes lightly.

As Reynolds said at the 2025 Time 100 Summit, “I learned all the most amazing lessons I could ever have in the creative space from that movie.”

He continued, “On that film, I saw a lot of money being spent on special effects, all sorts of stuff. And I remember suggesting, ‘Why don’t we write like a scene the way people would talk? I don’t know, it could be a fun exchange of dialogue that doesn’t cost anything?'”

Reynolds said he takes the “lesson” of “character over spectacle” to heart.

Finally, he said, “The greatest superpower I ever had in my life, I’m not saying about just my career or anything, was knowing who I am.”

These are powerful words for an actor. I think Reynolds, knowing his strengths and how he is, has greatly benefited from his days post-Green Lantern. He's been able to build a brand and develop characters, like Deadpool, who work much better with his philosophy.

You can see that character-centric work on the page in his collaboration with writers. Apparently, he's writing one of his own screenplays now, which I think will probably include those talking scenes he created the first time around.

Finding out what the audience connects with is a huge part of going on your filmmaking journey. At the heart of every great movie are characters we care about and a story that makes us feel something deep in our hearts.

This all makes me excited to see what Reynolds does next.