WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.759 Okay, let's untack this. We have a monumental 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:06.679 stack of sources, biographies, financial reports, 00:00:06.980 --> 00:00:10.179 interviews, cultural analysis, all pointing toward 00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:13.800 one modern phenomenon, Rodney Reynolds. Yeah, 00:00:13.900 --> 00:00:16.660 a real phenomenon. We are diving into this material 00:00:16.660 --> 00:00:19.859 to answer, well... A simple but pretty profound 00:00:19.859 --> 00:00:22.260 question, I think. Exactly. We're looking beyond 00:00:22.260 --> 00:00:26.519 just the actor born October 23, 1976. The mission 00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:29.460 today is to define the exact trajectory, you 00:00:29.460 --> 00:00:32.039 know, from a wisecracking sitcom star to this 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:34.320 huge entrepreneur and producer and figure out 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:37.390 how that persona he built connects these. well, 00:00:37.469 --> 00:00:39.770 seemingly disparate multi -billion dollar enterprises. 00:00:39.950 --> 00:00:42.270 Because the scale of this career shift is just, 00:00:42.310 --> 00:00:43.810 it's kind of hard to wrap your head around. The 00:00:43.810 --> 00:00:45.710 source material confirms his film work alone 00:00:45.710 --> 00:00:48.750 has grossed, what, $6 .6 billion worldwide? Yeah, 00:00:48.789 --> 00:00:51.270 $6 .6 billion. And financially, he's not just 00:00:51.270 --> 00:00:53.009 a successful actor, he's like an institution. 00:00:53.450 --> 00:00:55.490 He was the world's second highest paid actor 00:00:55.490 --> 00:00:59.030 back in 2020, pulling in a documented $71 .5 00:00:59.030 --> 00:01:01.950 million that year. And he did it again in 2024, 00:01:02.270 --> 00:01:05.129 earning a reported $85 million. And that second 00:01:05.129 --> 00:01:08.120 number, the 2024... one is particularly telling, 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:10.280 isn't it? Because it really encapsulates the 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.019 success on the film side. You know, the Canadian 00:01:13.019 --> 00:01:15.439 -American actor known for his comedy, his superhero 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:18.099 roles, but it's also benefiting massively from 00:01:18.099 --> 00:01:20.340 his business exits. Right. The two streams feeding 00:01:20.340 --> 00:01:23.359 into one massive river of income. Precisely. 00:01:23.930 --> 00:01:25.750 Here's the big question for you, the learner 00:01:25.750 --> 00:01:28.689 listening right now. How did the guy who was 00:01:28.689 --> 00:01:31.730 mostly known for doing college frat comedy, how 00:01:31.730 --> 00:01:35.109 did he pivot to being the owner of gin companies, 00:01:35.250 --> 00:01:38.290 telecom providers, and maybe his most beloved 00:01:38.290 --> 00:01:41.829 venture, a Welsh soccer team? Yeah, Rex. We're 00:01:41.829 --> 00:01:44.209 going to find out what specific decisions and 00:01:44.209 --> 00:01:46.569 I guess parts of his identity allowed him to 00:01:46.569 --> 00:01:49.459 transform himself into this. This leveraged brand. 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:52.019 Okay. So you really can't understand that self 00:01:52.019 --> 00:01:54.340 -aware persona without understanding the foundation 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:56.379 it was built on. Let's start right at the beginning. 00:01:56.599 --> 00:01:59.400 Reynolds was born and raised in Vancouver, spending 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:01.379 time in the Kitsilano neighborhood, and also 00:02:01.379 --> 00:02:04.180 Vanier, Ontario, coming from an Irish descent, 00:02:04.400 --> 00:02:06.540 Catholic upbringing. And the sources immediately 00:02:06.540 --> 00:02:09.159 point to a pretty complex domestic environment. 00:02:09.719 --> 00:02:13.080 His father, James Chester Reynolds, held a very 00:02:13.080 --> 00:02:16.479 serious kind of disciplined job. He served as 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:18.659 a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, you know, 00:02:18.659 --> 00:02:21.120 the RCMP. Right. Before eventually becoming a 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:25.479 foods wholesaler. His mother, Tamara Lee, worked 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:28.740 in retail sales. Sort of different worlds there. 00:02:28.819 --> 00:02:32.000 There's also a clear history of like public life 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:34.039 in the family, too. His paternal grandfather, 00:02:34.419 --> 00:02:36.560 Chester Reynolds, actually served in the Legislative 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:39.780 Assembly of Alberta way back in the 1940s. Interesting. 00:02:40.189 --> 00:02:42.889 But the emotional core of his early life, according 00:02:42.889 --> 00:02:45.229 to pretty much all the sources, was defined by 00:02:45.229 --> 00:02:47.889 friction, a lot of friction. Yeah, that friction 00:02:47.889 --> 00:02:50.069 seemed to center on his relationship with his 00:02:50.069 --> 00:02:52.349 father and also with his three older brothers. 00:02:52.509 --> 00:02:55.110 He often described his position in the family 00:02:55.110 --> 00:02:57.830 not just as like the youngest sibling, but as 00:02:57.830 --> 00:03:01.949 a moving target. A moving target. Which really 00:03:01.949 --> 00:03:04.629 suggests constant activity, maybe conflict, probably 00:03:04.629 --> 00:03:07.599 a lot of roughhousing. He did, however, contrast 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:10.199 this sometimes by saying those same brothers 00:03:10.199 --> 00:03:12.900 were his protectors, specifically against his 00:03:12.900 --> 00:03:15.159 father, with whom he had a really challenging 00:03:15.159 --> 00:03:18.259 and eventually quite estranged relationship. 00:03:19.069 --> 00:03:21.530 That whole dynamic, the moving target who needed 00:03:21.530 --> 00:03:23.830 protection but also developed this quick wit 00:03:23.830 --> 00:03:27.090 maybe as a defense mechanism, that feels incredibly 00:03:27.090 --> 00:03:28.949 important for understanding his later comedy 00:03:28.949 --> 00:03:31.129 style, doesn't it? Absolutely. Which is often 00:03:31.129 --> 00:03:33.430 based on those quick self -deprecating kind of 00:03:33.430 --> 00:03:36.150 counterattacks. Totally. The sources definitely 00:03:36.150 --> 00:03:39.409 suggest that this internal conflict helped fuel 00:03:39.409 --> 00:03:43.449 his early need for, well, a persona. Something 00:03:43.449 --> 00:03:45.590 to navigate that environment. And moving into 00:03:45.590 --> 00:03:48.530 his education, you see some instability maybe 00:03:48.530 --> 00:03:51.270 mirroring that dynamic. He was involved in acting 00:03:51.270 --> 00:03:54.849 from age 13. But ironically, he actually failed 00:03:54.849 --> 00:03:57.590 his acting classes as a teenager. He failed acting. 00:03:57.710 --> 00:04:00.090 That's pretty funny. Yeah. Perhaps resisting 00:04:00.090 --> 00:04:01.969 the formal structure of performance or maybe 00:04:01.969 --> 00:04:04.930 just not connecting with it then. His real education, 00:04:05.129 --> 00:04:06.770 as he's put it, seems to have happened during 00:04:06.770 --> 00:04:09.270 the day jobs he held. He worked as a busboy. 00:04:09.710 --> 00:04:12.110 And spent night shifts at a local grocery store 00:04:12.110 --> 00:04:15.330 in Vancouver, sometimes working until like 3 00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:18.290 a .m. Right. And he credits those blue collar 00:04:18.290 --> 00:04:21.410 co -workers as being, quote, the funniest people 00:04:21.410 --> 00:04:24.569 on earth. He called them some of my biggest impressions 00:04:24.569 --> 00:04:27.889 as a performer. So it wasn't the academic training 00:04:27.889 --> 00:04:30.290 that shaped him initially? Not at all. It was 00:04:30.290 --> 00:04:33.290 the raw observational comedy of his environment, 00:04:33.430 --> 00:04:35.129 the people he was around. And then there's that 00:04:35.129 --> 00:04:37.069 famous incident, the one that sort of forced 00:04:37.069 --> 00:04:40.420 a major life change. His expulsion from Prince 00:04:40.420 --> 00:04:42.639 of Wales Secondary. Ah, yes, the car incident. 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:45.339 For stealing a teacher's car. He eventually did 00:04:45.339 --> 00:04:47.660 graduate, though, from Kitsilano Secondary in 00:04:47.660 --> 00:04:50.839 1994, graduating alongside another future actor, 00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:54.300 Joshua Jackson. Right, JJ. That expulsion, though, 00:04:54.420 --> 00:04:56.399 it seems like it must have been a wake -up call, 00:04:56.519 --> 00:04:58.680 or at least a signal that, you know, the path 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:01.439 he was on wasn't sustainable. Sure seems like 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:04.699 it. At 19, he briefly abandoned acting entirely. 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:07.699 He enrolled at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. 00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:11.040 It was only after a peer, another actor named 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:13.439 Chris William Martin, recognized his natural 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:15.980 talent and really encouraged him to move south 00:05:15.980 --> 00:05:19.540 to L .A. Only then did he make that move. And 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:21.620 that risk -leaving stability, such as it was 00:05:21.620 --> 00:05:23.800 to chase this completely unpredictable career, 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:27.019 that really feels like the first major entrepreneurial 00:05:27.019 --> 00:05:29.019 decision of his life, doesn't it? Absolutely. 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.600 A huge leap of faith based on someone else's 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:33.660 belief in him, too. Yeah. And that decision, 00:05:33.779 --> 00:05:35.600 that leap, it changed everything. It pivoted 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:38.120 him onto the career ladder proper. Right. He 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:40.480 could track his professional start back to 1991. 00:05:40.759 --> 00:05:43.480 Okay. On the Canadian teen soap opera, Hillside, 00:05:43.660 --> 00:05:46.259 it was called 15 in the U .S., he played Billy 00:05:46.259 --> 00:05:49.660 Simpson, a character who, interestingly, initially 00:05:49.660 --> 00:05:52.300 coped with family issues and romantic rejection 00:05:52.300 --> 00:05:56.240 by turning to bullying. Huh. And his feature 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.980 film debut was Ordinary Magic in 93. But his 00:05:58.980 --> 00:06:00.759 real breakthrough role, the one people probably 00:06:00.759 --> 00:06:03.519 remember first, was as the medical student Michael 00:06:03.519 --> 00:06:06.959 Bergen in the sitcom Two Guys and a Girl. Right. 00:06:07.019 --> 00:06:08.560 Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place originally. 00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:12.540 That ran from 1998 to 2001. And critics, even 00:06:12.540 --> 00:06:15.759 then, were immediately impressed. Variety, looking 00:06:15.759 --> 00:06:18.910 back, recognized that his quote. talent and charisma 00:06:18.910 --> 00:06:21.990 were apparent and that his star quality was already 00:06:21.990 --> 00:06:25.149 in place. Wow. Early praise. Even early on. Yeah. 00:06:25.269 --> 00:06:27.990 He had that sort of undefinable presence, which 00:06:27.990 --> 00:06:31.129 he was already honing in smaller roles like appearance 00:06:31.129 --> 00:06:34.250 on the X -Files back in 96. OK, so this success 00:06:34.250 --> 00:06:36.029 really launched what we can call the romantic 00:06:36.029 --> 00:06:39.689 comedy phase. Right. Roughly 2002 to 2009. Definitely. 00:06:39.730 --> 00:06:43.350 And this era became this defining period of like. 00:06:43.709 --> 00:06:46.149 Commercial success, but also coupled with a lot 00:06:46.149 --> 00:06:49.089 of critical skepticism. Oh, yeah. National Lampoon's 00:06:49.089 --> 00:06:51.730 Van Wilder in 2002 is the perfect example. Holy. 00:06:51.870 --> 00:06:54.990 Massive box office success. It completely cemented 00:06:54.990 --> 00:06:57.029 his typecast as that fast -talking, slightly 00:06:57.029 --> 00:07:00.149 crude, you know, comic lead. But it got panned 00:07:00.149 --> 00:07:02.949 by critics. Absolutely panned. But the height 00:07:02.949 --> 00:07:04.949 of the commercial side of that phase was probably 00:07:04.949 --> 00:07:08.379 the proposal in 2009. For sure. The sources confirm 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:10.620 its massive box office success. And a lot of 00:07:10.620 --> 00:07:13.139 that was driven by the palpable onscreen chemistry 00:07:13.139 --> 00:07:15.079 he had with Sandra Bullock. Yeah, they were great 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:18.060 together. That film really proved he could carry 00:07:18.060 --> 00:07:20.779 a major Hollywood picture. Yeah. No question. 00:07:20.860 --> 00:07:23.240 What's fascinating, though, is how even then 00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:26.259 he was simultaneously trying to pivot out of 00:07:26.259 --> 00:07:29.000 that typecasting. He was taking these unusual 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:32.189 roles that explored like. deeper psychological 00:07:32.189 --> 00:07:35.310 stuff. Right, not just the easy comedies. Think 00:07:35.310 --> 00:07:38.310 of Just Friends in 2005. Oh yeah, the fat suit 00:07:38.310 --> 00:07:40.730 movie. Exactly, where he wore the fat suit to 00:07:40.730 --> 00:07:43.230 portray Chris Brander, the high schooler, stuck 00:07:43.230 --> 00:07:45.329 in the friend zone. I mean, it was still a comedy, 00:07:45.370 --> 00:07:47.009 but it required a real commitment to physical 00:07:47.009 --> 00:07:49.149 transformation, not just showing up and being 00:07:49.149 --> 00:07:51.670 witty. True. And then there was The Nines in 00:07:51.670 --> 00:07:55.209 2007, that complex sci -fi film. I remember that 00:07:55.209 --> 00:07:57.990 one. Very strange. Very strange. He played three 00:07:57.990 --> 00:08:00.850 distinct characters, Gary, Gavin, and Gabriel. 00:08:01.480 --> 00:08:03.720 Exploring these themes of reality, identity, 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:06.199 narrative control. I mean, these are not the 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:08.360 standard choices for an actor trying to maximize 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:10.519 his commercial stock. Not at all. These felt 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:12.939 like attempts to prove artistic range, to show 00:08:12.939 --> 00:08:15.100 he could do more. So that really sets the stage 00:08:15.100 --> 00:08:17.019 for the next period, which the sources describe 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:20.560 as kind of tumultuous genre experimentation career 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:24.660 fluctuations from about 2010 to 2015. He's deliberately 00:08:24.660 --> 00:08:26.959 pushing against his own brand here. This is where 00:08:26.959 --> 00:08:29.259 his commitment, his willingness to take risks. 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:32.500 Truly showed. I mean, look at Buried in 2010. 00:08:32.759 --> 00:08:35.559 Oh, Buried. Incredible film. The Spanish -American 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:38.320 survival thriller. He spends the entire runtime 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:41.580 confined to a coffin. Just him. The preparation 00:08:41.580 --> 00:08:43.600 for that must have been intense, psychologically 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:46.039 and physically. Unbelievable. And the sources 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:49.980 confirm it was a critical triumph. Rotten Tomatoes 00:08:49.980 --> 00:08:52.980 called it a nerve -wracking display. of his unique 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:55.279 talent. It proved he could command an entire 00:08:55.279 --> 00:08:57.679 film just through voice and emotion, stripped 00:08:57.679 --> 00:09:00.139 of all action, all dialogue partners. Just raw 00:09:00.139 --> 00:09:03.059 performance. Exactly. And he didn't stop with 00:09:03.059 --> 00:09:05.539 the thrillers. He embraced the bizarre with The 00:09:05.539 --> 00:09:08.120 Voices in 2014. Right, the black comedy where 00:09:08.120 --> 00:09:10.600 he talks to his pets. Yeah, a black comedy thriller 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:13.320 where he plays a schizophrenic character and 00:09:13.320 --> 00:09:16.320 he also voices his character's hallucinated pets, 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:19.409 the dog and the cat. He actually described it 00:09:19.409 --> 00:09:21.990 as, quote, one of my favorite movies I've ever 00:09:21.990 --> 00:09:24.210 done, even though it didn't do well commercially. 00:09:24.409 --> 00:09:26.509 Yeah, even though he lamented that it never really 00:09:26.509 --> 00:09:28.809 got its day in court commercially, as he put 00:09:28.809 --> 00:09:30.990 it, he was proud of the work. And then British 00:09:30.990 --> 00:09:33.570 GQ called his performance in the comedy drama 00:09:33.570 --> 00:09:37.289 Mississippi Grind in 2015, where he plays a professional 00:09:37.289 --> 00:09:41.179 gambler, his best performance in years. So he 00:09:41.179 --> 00:09:43.899 was clearly chasing prestige, chasing artistic 00:09:43.899 --> 00:09:46.580 respect during this period, trying to break out 00:09:46.580 --> 00:09:49.179 of the box. But we cannot discuss this era without 00:09:49.179 --> 00:09:51.799 addressing the superhero shadows looming over 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:54.379 it. He was chasing the franchise money, obviously, 00:09:54.480 --> 00:09:58.899 but kept stumbling. Big stumbles. Blade. Trinity 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:01.919 back in 2004 was a box office success, sure, 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:05.700 but... critically negative. And while he gained, 00:10:05.700 --> 00:10:08.179 what, 24 pounds of muscle in three months for 00:10:08.179 --> 00:10:10.259 the role of Hannibal King? Yeah, he got ripped 00:10:10.259 --> 00:10:12.259 for that. The role itself didn't really elevate 00:10:12.259 --> 00:10:14.600 him. It was kind of a cartoonish part. Then came 00:10:14.600 --> 00:10:18.080 the major, notorious failure, Green Lantern in 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:22.179 2011. Ugh. Green Lantern. It was both a critical 00:10:22.179 --> 00:10:25.720 and commercial failure. Poor reviews underperformed 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:28.659 significantly at the box office. Just a massive 00:10:28.659 --> 00:10:31.460 cinematic misfire. It really seemed like it might 00:10:31.460 --> 00:10:33.379 mark the ceiling of his career at that time, 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:35.480 didn't it? Like, this is as far as he goes. It 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:38.220 felt like that. And let's not forget his brief 00:10:38.220 --> 00:10:40.980 prior appearance as Wade Wilson, Weapon X -Eyed 00:10:40.980 --> 00:10:43.700 Bell in X -Men Origins, Wolverine in 2009. Right, 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:46.559 the first attempt at Deadpool. Kind of. Kind 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:49.019 of. A role he himself publicly criticized later, 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:51.620 arguing that it was, quote, the wrong version 00:10:51.620 --> 00:10:54.080 and that Deadpool isn't correct in it. He knew 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:56.179 the character even when the studio clearly did 00:10:56.179 --> 00:10:58.399 not. So we have the string of critical misses, 00:10:58.799 --> 00:11:01.259 Green Lantern being the most famous, which, according 00:11:01.259 --> 00:11:03.559 to the sources, really positioned him at a crossroads. 00:11:03.580 --> 00:11:05.960 He was successful, sure, but maybe seen as a 00:11:05.960 --> 00:11:08.600 deeply entrenched, like, B -list or mid -tier 00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:11.460 actor. Right. Reliable, funny, but maybe not 00:11:11.460 --> 00:11:13.179 a top -tier movie star who could open anything. 00:11:13.629 --> 00:11:16.070 So what does the source material show about the 00:11:16.070 --> 00:11:18.269 level of, I don't know, desperation or maybe 00:11:18.269 --> 00:11:20.590 conviction required for that Deadpool gamble? 00:11:21.370 --> 00:11:23.370 Because it was a gamble. Oh, the conviction was 00:11:23.370 --> 00:11:25.289 a mess. You have to imagine him looking at his 00:11:25.289 --> 00:11:28.929 career narrative. Yeah. Talented actor, great 00:11:28.929 --> 00:11:31.580 comedic timing, but just... Couldn't quite land 00:11:31.580 --> 00:11:33.639 the big franchise. Kept picking the wrong ones 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:35.960 or they were mishandled. He had the voice work. 00:11:35.980 --> 00:11:37.720 He was the lead in the Croods franchise, which 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:40.580 did well. And the titular snail in Turbo in 2013. 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:44.419 But he needed a defining career rehabilitating 00:11:44.419 --> 00:11:47.639 win. Something that was truly his. And that brings 00:11:47.639 --> 00:11:49.860 us squarely to Deadpool. Okay, so we've established 00:11:49.860 --> 00:11:53.100 this pattern, high risk, high reward in his career 00:11:53.100 --> 00:11:56.620 choices, pushing against typecasting. Now let's 00:11:56.620 --> 00:11:58.679 focus on the single project that really consolidated 00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:01.440 both his career and his brand, that decades -long 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:03.700 fight to make Deadpool. Yeah, decades -long isn't 00:12:03.700 --> 00:12:05.620 much of an exaggeration. This project had been 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:07.419 languishing in development hell since the year 00:12:07.419 --> 00:12:10.789 2000. And Reynolds became its tireless champion, 00:12:11.009 --> 00:12:13.610 its biggest advocate, especially after that botched 00:12:13.610 --> 00:12:16.350 appearance in Wolverine. He knew the character's 00:12:16.350 --> 00:12:19.169 voice, that meta commentary, the fourth wall 00:12:19.169 --> 00:12:21.990 breaking humor. He knew it was a direct reflection 00:12:21.990 --> 00:12:24.909 of his own public persona, the one he'd been 00:12:24.909 --> 00:12:28.090 honing. Here is the truly astonishing part, the 00:12:28.090 --> 00:12:31.210 bit that really defines his transition from just 00:12:31.210 --> 00:12:36.029 an actor to like a player, a mogul. The financial 00:12:36.029 --> 00:12:38.409 gamble he took. It's incredible. The sources 00:12:38.409 --> 00:12:41.370 state clearly that Reynolds chose not to receive 00:12:41.370 --> 00:12:44.230 any upfront salary for the first Deadpool movie 00:12:44.230 --> 00:12:47.230 in 2016. Zero dollars upfront. Just to ensure 00:12:47.230 --> 00:12:49.330 the project got the green light, albeit with 00:12:49.330 --> 00:12:51.570 a smaller budget than usual for a superhero film. 00:12:51.769 --> 00:12:54.730 That is just, it's almost unprecedented. That 00:12:54.730 --> 00:12:56.690 level of self -investment and financial risk 00:12:56.690 --> 00:12:59.190 for a leading actor trying to shepherd a passion 00:12:59.190 --> 00:13:01.750 project through a major studio system. And it's 00:13:01.750 --> 00:13:04.210 better. Furthermore, the small salary he did 00:13:04.210 --> 00:13:06.549 eventually receive, he immediately channeled 00:13:06.549 --> 00:13:08.750 it right back into the production. He used it 00:13:08.750 --> 00:13:10.669 to keep the co -writers, Rhett Reese and Paul 00:13:10.669 --> 00:13:12.409 Wernick, on set with him throughout filming. 00:13:12.690 --> 00:13:14.769 Wow. So this wasn't about the money for him at 00:13:14.769 --> 00:13:17.100 all at that stage. It was about creative fidelity. 00:13:17.580 --> 00:13:20.700 He understood that the script, the voice, that 00:13:20.700 --> 00:13:22.659 was the soul of the film. He needed the writers 00:13:22.659 --> 00:13:25.100 there to protect it. Absolutely. And that massive 00:13:25.100 --> 00:13:27.639 risk. It paid off monumentally. The film grossed 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:32.139 $782 million globally. Huge number on a relatively 00:13:32.139 --> 00:13:34.799 small budget. Making it the ninth highest grossing 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:38.240 film of 2016. And critically, his performance 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:40.179 was lauded. He got a Golden Globe nomination 00:13:40.179 --> 00:13:43.460 for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical. Which 00:13:43.460 --> 00:13:46.220 is pretty rare. A rare nod for a superhero. Totally. 00:13:46.659 --> 00:13:49.059 What seemed to resonate most with critics was 00:13:49.059 --> 00:13:51.419 just the pure force of his personality coming 00:13:51.419 --> 00:13:54.580 through. Daniel Krupa from IGN pointed out that 00:13:54.580 --> 00:13:56.820 Reynolds made the character not just tolerable, 00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:00.159 but immensely likable and charismatic. Despite 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:02.440 spending most of the film either in a full body 00:14:02.440 --> 00:14:05.399 costume or beneath heavy prosthetics, he just 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:07.779 transcended those physical constraints with his 00:14:07.779 --> 00:14:09.919 humor and his voice, the things he fought to 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:12.000 protect. Yeah, the persona shown through the 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:14.259 mask. The success continued, obviously, with 00:14:14.259 --> 00:14:16.649 this. Deadpool 2 in 2018. Another commercial 00:14:16.649 --> 00:14:20.190 hit grossed a strong $715 million. So this established 00:14:20.190 --> 00:14:22.470 him as a permanent franchise fixture, didn't 00:14:22.470 --> 00:14:24.929 it? It gave him unparalleled negotiating power, 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:27.529 which, as we'll see, he immediately leveraged 00:14:27.529 --> 00:14:29.590 into other creative projects and business ventures. 00:14:29.889 --> 00:14:32.549 Absolutely. We see that leverage deployed in 00:14:32.549 --> 00:14:35.850 films like Free Guy in 2021. Right. The MPC movie. 00:14:35.990 --> 00:14:38.110 Yeah, where he stars as a non -playable character 00:14:38.110 --> 00:14:41.409 who gains consciousness. It blends comedy, action, 00:14:41.570 --> 00:14:43.570 meta commentary. I mean, it's a perfect fit. 00:14:43.629 --> 00:14:46.129 for his brand post -Deadpool. Makes sense. And 00:14:46.129 --> 00:14:48.549 let's not overlook The Atom Project in 2022, 00:14:48.929 --> 00:14:51.990 another big Netflix hit which really capitalized 00:14:51.990 --> 00:14:54.830 on his established appeal. Sci -fi, heart, humor. 00:14:55.029 --> 00:14:58.190 But the recent story, the 2024 chapter, is truly 00:14:58.190 --> 00:15:00.789 extraordinary. The performance of Deadpool and 00:15:00.789 --> 00:15:03.389 Wolverine just redefined box office standards 00:15:03.389 --> 00:15:06.399 for that year. It was massive. grossing an incredible 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:10.440 $1 .338 billion worldwide. $1 .3 billion. It 00:15:10.440 --> 00:15:12.679 solidified his standing completely. It was the 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:15.700 second highest grossing film of 2024 and I believe 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:17.480 one of the highest grossing films of all time 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:19.960 upon its release. Just staggering numbers. And 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:22.620 that cinematic dominance produced this really 00:15:22.620 --> 00:15:26.639 fascinating cultural moment in August 2024. The 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:29.240 sources noted that he and his wife, Blake Lively, 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:32.279 became the first married Hollywood couple since 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:35.659 Bruce Willis and Demi Moore way back in... Wow, 00:15:35.940 --> 00:15:38.779 that long ago. To have separate films, Deadpool 00:15:38.779 --> 00:15:42.779 and Wolverine and her film, it ends with us take 00:15:42.779 --> 00:15:45.259 the number one and number two box office spots 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:47.740 simultaneously. That's incredible. That speaks 00:15:47.740 --> 00:15:49.919 not only to their individual success, obviously, 00:15:50.100 --> 00:15:52.879 but to the combined cultural visibility, the 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:55.580 power of the Reynolds Lively brand as a whole. 00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:58.850 They are a powerhouse couple. OK, so now we really 00:15:58.850 --> 00:16:00.830 have to turn our attention away from, you know, 00:16:00.830 --> 00:16:02.769 Hollywood salary reports and box office numbers 00:16:02.769 --> 00:16:05.610 and focus entirely on the portfolio, the business 00:16:05.610 --> 00:16:08.029 side. This is the true deep dive, I think. Transition 00:16:08.029 --> 00:16:10.470 from actor to strategic business mogul. Right, 00:16:10.529 --> 00:16:12.590 because the acting success is almost the foundation 00:16:12.590 --> 00:16:15.350 for this second empire. And the foundation of 00:16:15.350 --> 00:16:17.889 that empire seems to be maximum effort. Maximum 00:16:17.889 --> 00:16:20.169 effort, yeah. The production company he launched 00:16:20.169 --> 00:16:23.100 in 2018. Initially, it signed a pretty standard 00:16:23.100 --> 00:16:25.399 three -year first look deal with Fox for film 00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:27.620 projects. That was the traditional route. But 00:16:27.620 --> 00:16:29.539 the critical move, the financially groundbreaking 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:32.419 one, was the creation and then the subsequent 00:16:32.419 --> 00:16:34.779 spinoff of Maximum Effort's marketing division. 00:16:35.080 --> 00:16:38.840 Yes. In 2021, that marketing division was acquired 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:42.960 by a company called MNTN Software. Now, we need 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.879 to clarify for you, the listener, what this merger 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:47.820 really signals, because it wasn't just selling 00:16:47.820 --> 00:16:50.720 an ad agency. That's right. MNTN isn't just any 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:53.000 ad company. It's an advertising software company. 00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:55.519 It's primarily focused on what they call performance 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:57.820 TV. Performance TV, meaning? Meaning tracking 00:16:57.820 --> 00:17:00.200 the measurable ROI, the return on investment 00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:04.140 of TV ad spend. So when Reynolds sold his marketing 00:17:04.140 --> 00:17:06.980 arm to MNTN, he wasn't just transitioning from 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:09.000 a content creator who made funny ads. Right. 00:17:09.059 --> 00:17:11.500 He became a significant stakeholder in the ad. 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:14.160 infrastructure itself the tech that distributes 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:16.519 and measures those ads he essentially became 00:17:16.519 --> 00:17:18.940 a media infrastructure owner not just a brand 00:17:18.940 --> 00:17:21.680 spokesman using the platform that is such a crucial 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:24.059 distinction He went from being the talent in 00:17:24.059 --> 00:17:26.700 the ad to owning part of the system, delivering 00:17:26.700 --> 00:17:30.180 the ad. Exactly. And he has leveraged maximum 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:33.500 effort for these truly creative, often viral 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:36.779 ad campaigns, famously producing those self -aware 00:17:36.779 --> 00:17:38.940 spots for brands like Peloton. Yeah, the Peloton 00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:41.599 ad was genius. And R .M. Williams boots. The 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:44.400 sources highlight that he describes his own quirky 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:47.119 element of self -aware, disruptive storytelling 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:50.940 as the bedrock foundation of his success across 00:17:50.940 --> 00:17:52.990 all these different. industries. It's the common 00:17:52.990 --> 00:17:54.910 thread. It's that marketing leverage powered 00:17:54.910 --> 00:17:57.430 by his persona. That's the most valuable asset. 00:17:57.549 --> 00:18:00.349 And the transactions, the big sales, they prove 00:18:00.349 --> 00:18:02.809 this brand acquisition strategy isn't passive. 00:18:03.369 --> 00:18:05.170 It's highly, highly profitable. OK, let's look 00:18:05.170 --> 00:18:08.390 at the big ones. Aviation American Gen. Right. 00:18:08.470 --> 00:18:11.490 He acquired a stake in 2018, immediately took 00:18:11.490 --> 00:18:13.710 control of the brand's creative direction, injecting 00:18:13.710 --> 00:18:16.069 his personality, his humor into all the advertising. 00:18:16.190 --> 00:18:18.549 And then just two years later in 2020. Sold. 00:18:18.549 --> 00:18:21.349 Sold the brand to the beverage giant Diageo for 00:18:21.349 --> 00:18:24.809 a deal valued up to $610 million. 600 million 00:18:24.809 --> 00:18:28.130 for a gin brand he owned for two years. Can you 00:18:28.130 --> 00:18:30.549 put that deal into perspective for the listener? 00:18:30.730 --> 00:18:33.009 What does the source material reveal about the 00:18:33.009 --> 00:18:35.769 structure? Because it shows they were buying 00:18:35.769 --> 00:18:38.210 the Reynolds multiplier, right? Absolutely. The 00:18:38.210 --> 00:18:40.250 sources are specific here. The deal structure 00:18:40.250 --> 00:18:44.009 included an initial cash payment of $335 million, 00:18:44.329 --> 00:18:47.089 which is huge in itself. Okay. But the remaining 00:18:47.089 --> 00:18:50.109 $275 million was entirely performance -based. 00:18:50.609 --> 00:18:53.410 It was structured as an earn -out. tied specifically 00:18:53.410 --> 00:18:56.210 to sales growth over the next 10 years, contingent 00:18:56.210 --> 00:18:58.730 on his continued creative direction. Wow. So 00:18:58.730 --> 00:19:01.569 Diagea wasn't just buying the gin, the liquid, 00:19:01.630 --> 00:19:04.470 or the distillery. Not primarily, no. They were 00:19:04.470 --> 00:19:06.089 buying the marketing engine that Ryan Reynolds 00:19:06.089 --> 00:19:08.470 provided. They were buying his ability to maintain 00:19:08.470 --> 00:19:11.230 momentum and drive sales using his brand. They 00:19:11.230 --> 00:19:13.619 paid for the persona. He then immediately seemed 00:19:13.619 --> 00:19:16.420 to replicate this model almost exactly with Mint 00:19:16.420 --> 00:19:18.920 Mobile. Pretty much, yeah. He acquired a significant 00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:21.980 ownership stake estimated between 20 and 25 percent 00:19:21.980 --> 00:19:25.359 in 2019. And the connection here is kind of serendipitous, 00:19:25.359 --> 00:19:27.299 right? The source material mentions it. It is. 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:30.240 Mint Mobile's founder, David Glickman, actually 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:32.140 served with Reynolds on the board of the Michael 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:34.859 J. Fox Foundation. Ah, the foundation connection 00:19:34.859 --> 00:19:37.680 again. Exactly. And Glickman was apparently deeply 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:40.259 impressed by Reynolds' disruptive marketing efforts 00:19:40.259 --> 00:19:43.299 for Deadpool and saw the potential. So it's networking, 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:46.220 meeting, savvy marketing instincts? Precisely. 00:19:46.220 --> 00:19:49.799 And then, boom, in March 2023, Mint Mobile was 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:52.589 sold to T -Mobile. For how much? In a deal worth 00:19:52.589 --> 00:19:58.890 up to $1 .35 billion. $1 .3 billion. Yeah. Again, 00:19:58.950 --> 00:20:00.970 just to contextualize the scale for you listening, 00:20:01.190 --> 00:20:04.160 Mint Mobile is what's called an MVNO. a mobile 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:06.839 virtual network operator. It doesn't own its 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:09.299 own cell towers or infrastructure. It leases 00:20:09.299 --> 00:20:11.500 network space. Right. They're essentially a marketing 00:20:11.500 --> 00:20:13.680 company with a telecom service attached. Exactly. 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:16.319 So for a telecom giant like T -Mobile to pay 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:18.420 over a billion dollars primarily for a customer 00:20:18.420 --> 00:20:21.160 base built almost entirely on the strength of 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:24.119 a creative, celebrity -driven, low -cost marketing 00:20:24.119 --> 00:20:26.940 strategy, well, it signals that the brand equity 00:20:26.940 --> 00:20:29.660 built by Reynolds was just astronomical. It's 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:32.059 clear he's selling more than just gin or phone 00:20:32.059 --> 00:20:34.640 service. He's selling the marketing leverage 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:37.059 that comes with his specific brand presence, 00:20:37.299 --> 00:20:39.799 which is channeled through maximum effort. Without 00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:42.920 a doubt. And then there was Wrexham AFC, his 00:20:42.920 --> 00:20:45.779 most famous non -Hollywood investment, maybe 00:20:45.779 --> 00:20:48.640 the one closest to his heart, which he purchased 00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:52.059 with Rob McElhenney in 2020. Yeah, this one feels 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:54.279 different. It's arguably the most sentimental 00:20:54.279 --> 00:20:57.240 yet also strategically brilliant investment. 00:20:57.559 --> 00:21:00.259 Agreed. It's sentimental because the whole purchase 00:21:00.259 --> 00:21:02.900 and the club's journey was chronicled in that 00:21:02.900 --> 00:21:05.299 Emmy -winning documentary series, Welcome to 00:21:05.299 --> 00:21:07.980 Wrexham. Which created immense goodwill globally. 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:11.109 Huge goodwill. But it's also brilliant because 00:21:11.109 --> 00:21:13.789 of the history involved. Wrexham is the third 00:21:13.789 --> 00:21:16.309 oldest professional association football team 00:21:16.309 --> 00:21:18.230 in the world. Incredible history. And when they 00:21:18.230 --> 00:21:20.329 bought it, the club was just languishing down 00:21:20.329 --> 00:21:22.430 in the fifth tier of English soccer, the National 00:21:22.430 --> 00:21:24.869 League. They were stuck. And the sources emphasize 00:21:24.869 --> 00:21:27.150 this wasn't purely transactional for them, right? 00:21:27.269 --> 00:21:29.589 They've really embraced the Welsh culture. Oh, 00:21:29.630 --> 00:21:32.420 completely. They've actively promoted the Welsh 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:35.559 language in the media, on the show. They even 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:38.099 requested Welsh subtitles for his big Netflix 00:21:38.099 --> 00:21:41.220 movie Red Notice. That's a nice touch. It really 00:21:41.220 --> 00:21:44.660 is. They were awarded the Dios Y Daedraig Award 00:21:44.660 --> 00:21:48.160 from the Welsh broadcaster S4C, specifically 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:50.220 for their commitment to promoting the language 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:53.220 and culture globally. It feels like an investment 00:21:53.220 --> 00:21:55.500 in community storytelling, not just a sports 00:21:55.500 --> 00:21:58.970 team. Beyond those huge exits. The gin and the 00:21:58.970 --> 00:22:01.609 mobile, his investment list is just extraordinarily 00:22:01.609 --> 00:22:04.289 diverse. The sources list companies like. Yeah, 00:22:04.309 --> 00:22:06.029 the financial services company, Wealthsimple, 00:22:06.109 --> 00:22:08.849 the password management firm, 1Password, the 00:22:08.849 --> 00:22:11.589 streaming service, FuboTV, the Canadian payments 00:22:11.589 --> 00:22:14.190 processor, Nuvi. It's quite a range. And he even 00:22:14.190 --> 00:22:17.269 acquired a 24 % stake in the Alpine F1 team in 00:22:17.269 --> 00:22:20.269 2023. Right. Positioning himself in another rapidly 00:22:20.269 --> 00:22:23.039 growing, globally televised sport. high visibility. 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:25.619 This is clearly not passive investment. This 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:27.960 is empire building across really diverse sectors, 00:22:28.099 --> 00:22:30.359 using his personal brand as the primary lever 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:32.980 to, frankly, inflate the valuation of pretty 00:22:32.980 --> 00:22:35.140 much any company he touches. That seems to be 00:22:35.140 --> 00:22:38.259 the model. He even attempted briefly to buy the 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:41.579 NHL's Ottawa Senators between 2022 and 2023. 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:44.839 That fell through, but it showcased a clear interest 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:47.339 in diversifying his sports infrastructure holdings 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:50.099 even further. Wait, going back a bit, you mentioned 00:22:50.099 --> 00:22:52.559 he was the second highest paid actor in 2024 00:22:52.559 --> 00:22:56.099 at $85 million. Does the source material indicate 00:22:56.099 --> 00:22:58.880 if that figure is purely film salaries anymore? 00:22:59.180 --> 00:23:01.680 Or does it include the dividends and equity payouts 00:23:01.680 --> 00:23:03.740 from all these business interests? It makes him 00:23:03.740 --> 00:23:05.920 seem less like an actor getting a paycheck and 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:08.039 more like a leveraged equity holding himself. 00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:10.440 We should clarify for the listener which business 00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:12.900 interests are feeding that number. That's a really 00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:15.859 critical point. And yes, while the specific breakdowns 00:23:15.859 --> 00:23:18.200 provided by outlets like Forbes are often estimates. 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:20.940 The source material generally clarifies that 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:23.720 these top earnings figures for actors like Reynolds 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:26.220 or, say, Dwayne Johnson. Right. The Rock has 00:23:26.220 --> 00:23:28.799 a similar model. Exactly. They often do include 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:31.019 significant back end percentages from production 00:23:31.019 --> 00:23:35.180 deals, crucial equity bonuses tied to brand endorsements 00:23:35.180 --> 00:23:37.880 or these partial ownership stakes like the ones 00:23:37.880 --> 00:23:41.339 leveraged through maximum effort. So, yes. By 00:23:41.339 --> 00:23:43.619 2024, it's almost certain that a large portion 00:23:43.619 --> 00:23:46.839 of that $85 million is derived from his position 00:23:46.839 --> 00:23:50.420 as a producer, as an entrepreneur, and effectively 00:23:50.420 --> 00:23:52.700 as the chief marketing officer for his own portfolio. 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:54.720 It's not just his work in front of the camera 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:57.440 anymore, not by a long shot. Okay, so let's talk 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:59.160 about the persona itself then, because it really 00:23:59.160 --> 00:24:01.160 does feel like the central asset in this whole 00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:04.230 empire. On screen, he's versatile, sure, but 00:24:04.230 --> 00:24:06.970 he definitely specializes in those crude, sarcastic 00:24:06.970 --> 00:24:09.130 action roles, kind of culminating in the meta 00:24:09.130 --> 00:24:11.630 humor of Deadpool. Right. But off screen, sources 00:24:11.630 --> 00:24:13.869 like CNBC and others have noted that despite 00:24:13.869 --> 00:24:16.650 often portraying these snarky, sometimes abrasive 00:24:16.650 --> 00:24:19.089 characters, he has somehow managed to build his 00:24:19.089 --> 00:24:21.269 reputation as one of Hollywood's nicest actors. 00:24:21.490 --> 00:24:24.430 That's quite the contrast. It is. And his key 00:24:24.430 --> 00:24:26.910 characteristic, which, as you said, ties maybe 00:24:26.910 --> 00:24:28.829 all the way back to his childhood as the moving 00:24:28.829 --> 00:24:32.339 target, is his frequent... and very self -aware 00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:35.420 use of self -deprecating humor in his public 00:24:35.420 --> 00:24:37.559 image. He's always the first one to make fun 00:24:37.559 --> 00:24:39.960 of himself. Chris Thilke, writing for Adweek, 00:24:40.019 --> 00:24:43.069 described the Reynolds persona as, quote, Dry, 00:24:43.210 --> 00:24:46.690 egotistical, quick -witted, and slightly oblivious, 00:24:46.789 --> 00:24:49.369 noting how effectively he has leveraged exactly 00:24:49.369 --> 00:24:53.190 that for promotion. This consistent, highly controlled, 00:24:53.450 --> 00:24:56.630 and genuinely funny persona seems to give his 00:24:56.630 --> 00:24:59.029 business ventures an authenticity that a typical 00:24:59.029 --> 00:25:01.890 celebrity endorsement just lacks. People feel 00:25:01.890 --> 00:25:03.849 like they're in on the joke with him. Exactly. 00:25:03.869 --> 00:25:06.730 And that highly crafted public image extends 00:25:06.730 --> 00:25:09.329 seamlessly into his deep advocacy work as well. 00:25:09.789 --> 00:25:11.549 His commitment to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, 00:25:11.829 --> 00:25:14.250 for instance, is intensely personal. Right. We 00:25:14.250 --> 00:25:15.690 mentioned the board connection. He joined the 00:25:15.690 --> 00:25:18.349 board back in 2009 and it was directly motivated 00:25:18.349 --> 00:25:21.069 by his late father's 20 year battle with Parkinson's 00:25:21.069 --> 00:25:22.809 disease. And this is where we see that humor 00:25:22.809 --> 00:25:24.890 functioning almost as psychological armor, isn't 00:25:24.890 --> 00:25:26.970 it? He spoke incredibly openly in interviews 00:25:26.970 --> 00:25:30.230 about using humor to process grief. Yeah. Citing 00:25:30.230 --> 00:25:32.950 the need to keep his father laughing. Yeah. Even 00:25:32.950 --> 00:25:35.809 during his final moments, he reflected that playing 00:25:35.809 --> 00:25:38.609 Deadpool. with that character's kind of nihilistic 00:25:38.609 --> 00:25:41.690 but ultimately heroic exterior, actually contributed 00:25:41.690 --> 00:25:43.990 to his own process of grieving. It allowed him 00:25:43.990 --> 00:25:46.609 to channel complex emotions. That's powerful. 00:25:46.930 --> 00:25:49.569 He also discussed how becoming a parent himself 00:25:49.569 --> 00:25:52.529 helped him finally fully reconcile that complex 00:25:52.529 --> 00:25:54.769 relationship he had with his deceased father, 00:25:54.930 --> 00:25:57.170 adding this layer of maturity maybe to his public 00:25:57.170 --> 00:25:59.789 vulnerability. The sources show a really clear 00:25:59.789 --> 00:26:02.490 link between his performance style, his personal 00:26:02.490 --> 00:26:05.170 history, and his philanthropy. It all connects. 00:26:05.410 --> 00:26:08.029 Beyond health, his philanthropic reach is immediate 00:26:08.029 --> 00:26:11.089 and global. Following the 2022 Russian invasion 00:26:11.089 --> 00:26:13.410 of Ukraine, he and Blake Lively pledged to match 00:26:13.410 --> 00:26:16.250 donations up to $1 million for Ukrainian refugees. 00:26:16.390 --> 00:26:20.009 A huge sum. And then in October 2023, they donated 00:26:20.009 --> 00:26:22.309 another $1 million, this time to the International 00:26:22.309 --> 00:26:24.349 Committee of the Red Cross, to support children 00:26:24.349 --> 00:26:26.670 affected by the Israel -Gaza conflict. And it's 00:26:26.670 --> 00:26:29.309 important here to note the specific framing in 00:26:29.309 --> 00:26:32.049 the sources for that Israel -Gaza conflict donation. 00:26:32.840 --> 00:26:35.759 They were widely cited as the first major celebrities 00:26:35.759 --> 00:26:37.920 to publicly contribute significant financial 00:26:37.920 --> 00:26:40.740 aid intended for both sides via the Red Cross, 00:26:40.980 --> 00:26:43.740 emphasizing a nonpartisan, purely humanitarian 00:26:43.740 --> 00:26:47.380 focus. That was a move that required some significant 00:26:47.380 --> 00:26:50.000 political navigation in that climate. Sure. He 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:51.980 has also achieved major Canadian recognition 00:26:51.980 --> 00:26:54.440 for his dual career achievements, which must 00:26:54.440 --> 00:26:57.180 mean a lot to him. In 2024, he was appointed 00:26:57.180 --> 00:26:59.319 an officer of the Order of Canada. Which is the 00:26:59.319 --> 00:27:01.930 nation's second highest honor. Huge deal. For 00:27:01.930 --> 00:27:04.470 his achievements in film and philanthropy, this 00:27:04.470 --> 00:27:06.349 followed receiving the Order of British Columbia 00:27:06.349 --> 00:27:09.769 in 2023. And he also attained U .S. citizenship 00:27:09.769 --> 00:27:12.789 around 2018, voting for the first time in the 00:27:12.789 --> 00:27:15.769 2020 presidential election. So he's claimed both 00:27:15.769 --> 00:27:19.549 identities fully. Dual citizen. On the personal 00:27:19.549 --> 00:27:21.109 front, we should probably quickly summarize his 00:27:21.109 --> 00:27:23.130 prior high -profile relationships, just for context. 00:27:23.289 --> 00:27:25.430 Sure. There is his engagement to the musician 00:27:25.430 --> 00:27:28.390 Alanis Morissette. Right, that lasted from 2004 00:27:28.390 --> 00:27:31.849 to 2007. A split that famously inspired her album 00:27:31.849 --> 00:27:34.369 Flavors of Entanglement. That's right. This was 00:27:34.369 --> 00:27:36.730 followed by his marriage to Scarlett Johansson 00:27:36.730 --> 00:27:39.650 from 2008 to 2011. A relatively short marriage. 00:27:39.890 --> 00:27:42.509 Then he and Blake Lively met while filming Green 00:27:42.509 --> 00:27:45.369 Lantern in 2010. Ironically, given how that film 00:27:45.369 --> 00:27:47.410 turned out. Yeah, something good came from it. 00:27:47.450 --> 00:27:51.630 They married in 2012. Now... The sources do detail 00:27:51.630 --> 00:27:53.789 the significant controversy surrounding their 00:27:53.789 --> 00:27:57.150 wedding location. It was held at Boone Hall Plantation 00:27:57.150 --> 00:27:59.690 in South Carolina. Which is a site with known 00:27:59.690 --> 00:28:03.269 painful ties to slavery. Exactly. Following renewed 00:28:03.269 --> 00:28:06.069 civil rights protests in 2020, they faced heavy 00:28:06.069 --> 00:28:08.470 public criticism for that choice. And they addressed 00:28:08.470 --> 00:28:11.170 it head on. They issued a public apology expressing 00:28:11.170 --> 00:28:14.470 deep regret for the location choice, describing 00:28:14.470 --> 00:28:17.230 it as, quote, something we'll always be deeply 00:28:17.230 --> 00:28:20.150 and unreservedly sorry for. And the sources confirm 00:28:20.150 --> 00:28:22.630 they took steps to amend this publicly, choosing 00:28:22.630 --> 00:28:25.029 to renew their vows privately at home in New 00:28:25.029 --> 00:28:27.009 York rather than ever promoting the original 00:28:27.009 --> 00:28:29.730 site. They now have four children together. Right. 00:28:29.829 --> 00:28:32.250 And we absolutely must confirm the extremely 00:28:32.250 --> 00:28:34.869 close cultural connection to Taylor Swift. Ah, 00:28:35.009 --> 00:28:38.720 yes. The Swift connection. It's real. Very real. 00:28:38.819 --> 00:28:40.880 The sources confirmed that the characters in 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:44.019 Swift's 2020 song Betty James, Inez and Betty 00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:46.940 are named after their daughters. And Reynolds 00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:50.240 himself confirmed in late 2024 that Swift is, 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:52.740 in fact, the godmother to his three daughters, 00:28:52.940 --> 00:28:55.660 which indicates a really deep level of family 00:28:55.660 --> 00:28:58.700 friendship there. Wow. Godmother. OK, finally, 00:28:58.779 --> 00:29:00.259 we have to return to the mental health aspect 00:29:00.259 --> 00:29:02.359 because it feels like it underpins the strength 00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:04.920 required to maintain this persona under constant 00:29:04.920 --> 00:29:07.869 scrutiny. Absolutely. Reynolds has been. Remarkably 00:29:07.869 --> 00:29:10.410 candid, especially for someone at his level, 00:29:10.490 --> 00:29:12.690 about his lifelong struggle with anxiety. Yeah, 00:29:12.750 --> 00:29:14.789 he's talked about it quite a bit. Noting that 00:29:14.789 --> 00:29:19.789 he often felt, in his words, quiet and shy outside 00:29:19.789 --> 00:29:22.349 of his performance roles. That the on -screen 00:29:22.349 --> 00:29:24.470 confidence wasn't always his default setting. 00:29:24.630 --> 00:29:26.609 And he even revealed something quite extraordinary. 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:29.240 that he sometimes conducted major interviews 00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:32.079 in character as Deadpool. Yeah, there is. Specifically 00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:34.579 to help manage his social fears and anxiety in 00:29:34.579 --> 00:29:36.640 those high -pressure situations. Which concerns 00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:39.559 that the sarcastic, quick -witted armor he created 00:29:39.559 --> 00:29:42.220 for the character is both literal in the suit 00:29:42.220 --> 00:29:45.440 and psychological. It's a deliberate mechanism 00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:48.539 he uses to perform when his natural anxiety might 00:29:48.539 --> 00:29:51.319 otherwise paralyze him. It's fascinating self 00:29:51.319 --> 00:29:54.200 -awareness. Okay, now we must address the most 00:29:54.200 --> 00:29:58.180 immediate and legally intense controversies surrounding 00:29:58.180 --> 00:30:01.079 his empire right now. The ongoing dispute related 00:30:01.079 --> 00:30:03.900 to Blake Lively's film, It Ends With Us. Right. 00:30:03.980 --> 00:30:06.480 This blew up relatively recently. This controversy 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:09.299 arose in 2024 due to conflicts between Lively 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:11.859 and the film's director, Justin Baldoni. Seems 00:30:11.859 --> 00:30:13.839 like it was particularly concerned in creative 00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:16.000 control during post -production. That's the core 00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:18.039 of it. Lively publicly claimed that Reynolds 00:30:18.039 --> 00:30:19.940 himself actually wrote a significant portion 00:30:19.940 --> 00:30:22.500 of dialogue for a pivotal rooftop scene back 00:30:22.500 --> 00:30:25.599 in April 2023, allegedly without Baldoni's knowledge 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:27.700 or approval. Which, if true, is a pretty big 00:30:27.700 --> 00:30:29.900 overstep for an actor's spouse who isn't formally 00:30:29.900 --> 00:30:32.140 involved in the production. Exactly. And that 00:30:32.140 --> 00:30:34.460 claim immediately escalated things into a full 00:30:34.460 --> 00:30:38.460 blown legal firefight. On January 16, 2025, Baldoni 00:30:38.460 --> 00:30:41.380 filed a massive $400 million civil lawsuit against 00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:44.779 both Reynolds and Lively. $400 million. Wow. 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:48.119 Alleging what exactly? Living extortion, defamation, 00:30:48.259 --> 00:30:51.200 and invasion of privacy. Serious claims. The 00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:53.859 legal claims themselves are fascinating in how 00:30:53.859 --> 00:30:55.859 they try to define the boundaries of creative 00:30:55.859 --> 00:30:58.980 conflict in Hollywood. Baldoni asserted that 00:30:58.980 --> 00:31:01.279 Lively threatened to make false sexual harassment 00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:04.660 allegations against him and withdraw from production 00:31:04.660 --> 00:31:07.940 entirely, specifically to gain creative control 00:31:07.940 --> 00:31:11.480 over the film's final cut. That is an incredibly 00:31:11.480 --> 00:31:14.440 serious allegation. He further claimed that she, 00:31:14.660 --> 00:31:16.819 Reynolds, and their publicist then worked together 00:31:16.819 --> 00:31:19.140 in a coordinated effort to damage his reputation 00:31:19.140 --> 00:31:21.819 professionally and personally and to ensure he 00:31:21.819 --> 00:31:24.180 was barred from the film's own premiere. So it's 00:31:24.180 --> 00:31:26.559 an explosive claim about manipulation and leverage, 00:31:26.799 --> 00:31:29.099 essentially accusing the actor and her powerful 00:31:29.099 --> 00:31:31.539 producing partner spouse of weaponizing their 00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:34.359 fame and their PR machine to completely exclude 00:31:34.359 --> 00:31:36.839 the director from his own film's final stages 00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:39.099 and celebration. What's crucial here, though, 00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:41.519 is the response from Reynolds. How did he react 00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:45.789 legally? In March 2025, he filed a motion to 00:31:45.789 --> 00:31:49.049 be dismissed entirely from the lawsuit. His argument 00:31:49.049 --> 00:31:51.569 was that he had no direct involvement, really, 00:31:51.650 --> 00:31:54.589 outside of simply supporting his wife emotionally. 00:31:54.910 --> 00:31:57.829 OK. He dismissed the entire lawsuit, at least 00:31:57.829 --> 00:32:00.690 as it pertained to him, as, quote, thin -skinned 00:32:00.690 --> 00:32:04.329 outrage and a pure PR play with no direct legal 00:32:04.329 --> 00:32:06.650 merit against him personally. And what about 00:32:06.650 --> 00:32:09.369 the specific claim involving Deadpool? That seemed 00:32:09.369 --> 00:32:11.549 pointed. Right. There's a specific detail the 00:32:11.549 --> 00:32:14.190 sources focus on. Baldoni's assertion that the 00:32:14.190 --> 00:32:16.529 new character, Nicepool, who was introduced in 00:32:16.529 --> 00:32:19.150 Deadpool and Wolverine, was intended as a direct, 00:32:19.289 --> 00:32:22.730 mocking caricature of Baldoni himself. Reynolds 00:32:22.730 --> 00:32:25.109 explicitly rejected this claim in his motion, 00:32:25.269 --> 00:32:27.450 stating it wasn't true, and further trying to 00:32:27.450 --> 00:32:29.630 separate himself from the specific creative conflict 00:32:29.630 --> 00:32:31.940 at the heart of the deep. It ends with us dispute. 00:32:32.160 --> 00:32:34.619 So as impartial guides, just looking at the source 00:32:34.619 --> 00:32:36.859 material here, we simply report the claims and 00:32:36.859 --> 00:32:39.039 the counterclaims as provided. It certainly illustrates 00:32:39.039 --> 00:32:41.740 the intense legal and personal fallout that even 00:32:41.740 --> 00:32:44.079 A -list box office success can generate when 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:46.180 creative control gets tangled up with brand power 00:32:46.180 --> 00:32:49.059 and personal relationships. Absolutely. A very 00:32:49.059 --> 00:32:52.319 messy, very high stake situation still unfolding. 00:32:53.450 --> 00:32:55.930 OK, before we try to synthesize this whole incredible 00:32:55.930 --> 00:32:58.569 journey, let's just quickly recap the sheer weight 00:32:58.569 --> 00:33:01.049 of his professional recognition, because it really 00:33:01.049 --> 00:33:03.769 proves the quality and impact of his dual work 00:33:03.769 --> 00:33:06.589 acting and producing business. Good idea. So 00:33:06.589 --> 00:33:10.430 accolades. He has a primetime Emmy Award. Yeah. 00:33:10.450 --> 00:33:12.970 But for producing, welcome to Wrexham. Right. 00:33:13.069 --> 00:33:15.940 Not for acting. For the documentary. He has that 00:33:15.940 --> 00:33:17.980 Golden Globe nomination for acting in Deadpool. 00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:21.759 Two Grammy Award nominations. For what? For the 00:33:21.759 --> 00:33:24.019 compilation soundtracks for Deadpool 2 and Deadpool 00:33:24.019 --> 00:33:26.960 and Wolverine. He likely got those as a producer 00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:29.119 on the albums. Ah, okay. Makes sense. And he 00:33:29.119 --> 00:33:31.559 won a Saturn Award, again, for acting in Deadpool. 00:33:32.119 --> 00:33:34.819 Publicly, the recognition's there, too. He received 00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:37.099 his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame back in 00:33:37.099 --> 00:33:39.880 2016. And was included in the influential Time 00:33:39.880 --> 00:33:42.720 100 list in 2017. Critically, if you look at 00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:44.559 something like Rotten Tomatoes, some of his most 00:33:44.559 --> 00:33:46.740 acclaimed films, the ones critics genuinely liked, 00:33:46.839 --> 00:33:49.819 include that early indie hit Adventureland. Great 00:33:49.819 --> 00:33:52.250 movie. The claustrophobic thriller Buried, which 00:33:52.250 --> 00:33:54.390 we discussed, and then his big franchise successes. 00:33:54.750 --> 00:33:57.170 Deadpool, Free Guy, and Deadpool and Wolverine. 00:33:57.210 --> 00:34:00.450 A pretty strong run, critically, in recent years. 00:34:00.650 --> 00:34:03.930 So what does this all mean for you, the learner? 00:34:04.049 --> 00:34:06.329 We started with this high school kid in Vancouver 00:34:06.329 --> 00:34:09.539 who was a self -described moving target. who 00:34:09.539 --> 00:34:12.179 failed acting class, yet somehow became this 00:34:12.179 --> 00:34:15.260 global cultural and business force, one of the 00:34:15.260 --> 00:34:17.760 highest paid actors in the world and a major 00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:21.400 multi -sector investor and owner. The final synthesis 00:34:21.400 --> 00:34:24.139 looking across all the sources seems pretty clear. 00:34:24.260 --> 00:34:26.320 The most crucial element connecting everything. 00:34:26.710 --> 00:34:28.489 The acting, the multi -billion dollar business 00:34:28.489 --> 00:34:31.030 exits, the philanthropy, even the controversies. 00:34:31.030 --> 00:34:33.250 It's the sophisticated, strategically deployed, 00:34:33.409 --> 00:34:36.389 self -aware public persona. He moved beyond simply 00:34:36.389 --> 00:34:38.889 being an actor for hire. Way beyond. He essentially 00:34:38.889 --> 00:34:40.750 became a vertically integrated media product 00:34:40.750 --> 00:34:43.969 himself. The persona is the product in many ways. 00:34:44.360 --> 00:34:46.599 The source material consistently shows his use 00:34:46.599 --> 00:34:49.460 of that self -deprecating humor. And those disruptive 00:34:49.460 --> 00:34:52.000 storytelling skills are absolutely key to both 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:55.039 his comedy roles and his business ventures. That's 00:34:55.039 --> 00:34:56.699 the common thread, isn't it? From selling gin 00:34:56.699 --> 00:35:00.139 to buying into an F1 team. It really is. He doesn't 00:35:00.139 --> 00:35:02.519 just sell products. He sells the relationship 00:35:02.519 --> 00:35:05.059 the customer feels they have with his brand, 00:35:05.320 --> 00:35:08.420 with him. Which raises, I think, an important... 00:35:08.800 --> 00:35:10.920 Maybe provocative thought for you to explore 00:35:10.920 --> 00:35:13.699 on your own after this. If his success hinges 00:35:13.699 --> 00:35:16.760 so entirely on this meticulously crafted public 00:35:16.760 --> 00:35:20.079 persona, the nice guy, the witty marketer, the 00:35:20.079 --> 00:35:22.000 self -aware underdog, and if he successfully 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:24.880 sold his marketing engine, Maximum Efforts Ad 00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:27.659 Division, for hundreds of millions of dollars 00:35:27.659 --> 00:35:30.440 to MNTN. Right. Monetizing the marketing prowess 00:35:30.440 --> 00:35:32.280 directly. Then you really have to consider, is 00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:34.760 that self -aware persona itself the single most 00:35:34.760 --> 00:35:37.280 valuable and maybe the least visible asset in 00:35:37.280 --> 00:35:39.239 his entire market? multi -billion dollar portfolio, 00:35:39.539 --> 00:35:42.500 is the brand more valuable than the companies 00:35:42.500 --> 00:35:45.460 it promotes? That's a fascinating question. Is 00:35:45.460 --> 00:35:48.239 the persona the ultimate asset? Something to 00:35:48.239 --> 00:35:49.940 definitely keep thinking about as you process 00:35:49.940 --> 00:35:53.179 this deep dive. Until next time, keep digging 00:35:53.179 --> 00:35:53.599 deeper.