Reynolds is the perfect guy as Matt Weston in Safehouse, producer Scott Stuber recalls: “We had to be certain that the actor opposite Denzel would be ready. I’ve known Ryan for a long time and was sure that he would step up to that challenge. More importantly, he wanted such a challenge.”

Reynolds explains his interest in joining the team: “First and foremost, I was riveted by the story. It was also an opportunity to work with Daniel, who is an unusual and unpredictable filmmaker. He is unlike anyone I’ve ever worked with, or even met before. He’s this incredibly wise, intuitive, intellectual thug. It’s a weird combination that gives him this incredible street sense. He’s a guy who could easily be in a bar fight, and at the same time, if you name any book, there’s a good chance he’s read it—among the plusses, not the least of which was working with Denzel. You know you will learn a lot working with Denzel: Spending time with him makes you a better actor.”

The actor found the duality of Weston’s life—the housekeeper’s cover is that he is a health worker—compelling. He says, “I was fascinated by the fact that my character lives a complete lie. He’s lying to himself and wraps himself up in the flag. There’s a lot of hubris involved. He feels what he’s doing is righteous, and yet, there’s a dark, seedy underbelly to what he does—not the least of which is the fact that he lies to everyone he loves, and that takes its toll. He’s beaten up from this.”

Reynolds explains his character’s transformation: “Matt’s growth is debatable. In some ways, it’s almost a regression. Throughout the course of the film, he’s resorting to some of the same ways he’s previously despised. The audience’s concern as we’re watching is that Matt might be affected by Frost in the same way that Frost was swayed by whoever it was who caused him to go off book. One of the things that Frost does is reveal to Matt what this agency really is, how some of the black ops that it engages in are in the guise of a higher good. It affects Matt deeply, and he’s seeing how this could easily become him one day. Whether that’s growth or not, he’s definitely changed.”

Washington saw that growth in the man playing Weston and found Reynolds a worthy on-screen adversary. The performer compliments: “Ryan is a very good actor who works very hard, and we had good chemistry. He has an inherent innocence that I think was right for the part.”

Q & A with Ryan Reynolds

How did you come to this film?

I read the script and loved it. Then I met with Daniel Espinosa. I had seen SNABBA CASH, which he directed, and I thought it was incredibly inventive. It was a really interesting take on the action/crime thriller and I thought Daniel would be a great match for this project. I usually gravitate first towards a character and then towards the overall story. I liked that there is this hubris associated with these guys who enter agencies like the CIA thinking that it’s some romantic journey into a love of God and country. Then once they are involved, it is actually incredibly disillusioning.

What’s your character’s relationship to Denzel’s character?

Frost (Denzel’s character) represents everything my character, Matt Weston, despises. He’s betrayed his country and his own personal code of ethics in innumerable ways. Although my character opposes everything Frost stands for, by the end of the film we’re left wondering if Matt is going that same route.

Have you had a lot of action scenes?

The fights in this movie are really long and extensive. They’re not kung fu or the typical fight scenes that you see in this sort of film. These fights are just ugly. There’s biting and head-butting. The driving is pretty intense, as well.

How have you found working with director Daniel Espinosa?

Daniel is amazing. He embodies the aspects of a great psycho-analyst that all good directors have and he is very good with actors. He sees everything. Nothing gets by him.

Released and distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp., “Safehouse” is set to open in Philippine theaters nationwide on February 10, 2012.

Ryan Reynolds Shines in ‘Safehouse’ originally appeared on Starmometer on February 9, 2012.

“The Change-Up” stars Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern, The Proposal) and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), from director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers), writers Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (The Hangover) and producer Neal Moritz (Fast & Furious, Click).

Here is the premise of the movie:

Two men, Mitch and Dave (Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman) have a chance to live each other’s lives when they switch bodies after standing in front of a magic fountain and saying “I wish I had your life.” Their worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other’s bodies and proceed to freak out.

Despite the freedom from their normal routines and habits, the guys soon discover that each other’s lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed. Further complicating matters are Dave’s sexy legal associate, Sabrina (Olivia Wilde), and Mitch’s estranged father (Alan Arkin). With time not on their side, Mitch and Dave comically struggle to avoid completely destroying each other’s lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back.

The Change-Up opens in theaters on August 5th, 2011.

Watch the trailer here:

Ryan Reynolds Switches Body with Jason Bateman in ‘The Change-Up’ originally appeared on Starmometer on June 9, 2011.

“We’ve got explosions and fights and trips to outer space and back, but I love that the movie also has a great sense of fun and a hint of romance about it,” shares Lively. “And the Green Lantern Corps should appeal to women, too—representing virtually every species of alien imaginable, it’s definitely not a men’s-only club.”

A go-getter pilot-turned-businesswoman, Carol has always been by-the-book, enabling her to move up in the ranks at her father’s company, Ferris Aircraft, making her now…Hal’s boss.

“Hal and Carol have a bond that goes back to when they were kids,” Ryan Reynolds relates. “There’s a great deal of history there, both good and bad. There are moments when they’re like magnets flipped the wrong way, pushing off one another, but you can always tell there’s something pulling them together, too.”

“Carol and Hal have an interesting dynamic, and Ryan and I had that same sort of playful banter,” says Lively.

“Blake and Ryan had great chemistry right off the bat,” producer Donald De Line confirms. “They really hit it off and I think that translated nicely onto the screen, whether the characters are in the heat of passion or the heat of battle.”

Lively adds, “Regardless of what they might have felt, or feel, for each other, Hal and Carol have always butted heads. She’s no damsel in distress. Like Hal, she’s a test pilot, and now that she’s about to inherit her father’s company, she’s in a position to really question him. And even after this unbelievable thing happens to him, she challenges him as much as he challenges her. If he can’t believe in himself, she’ll believe in him enough for the both of them. She’s not about to let him walk away from this amazing opportunity.”

“Carol is the alpha female in the film, and she really helps to enrich the story’s emotional spine,” director Martin Campbell asserts. “She’s strong and capable and responsible—everything Hal is not when we first meet him. And Blake truly combined all those qualities in a completely natural way. She was just great.”

Reynolds was not the only one who had to undergo training for the film’s exciting action sequences. Lively also had to prepare to be suspended in mid-air on a Matrix rig for a scene in which Carol is in the grip of a villain’s telekinetic powers.

“We put Blake in this rig and spun her around; she was a really good sport,” stunt coordinator Gary Powell comments. “There’s a lot of trust involved when you’re asking an actor to do some of these stunts—whether it’s hanging from a wire or shooting up into the sky—but everyone was really eager to do whatever they had to do to get it right.”

Opening across the Philippines on June 16 in 3D, 2D and regular format, “Green Lantern” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Watch the trailer of “Green Lantern” here:

Blake Lively is Green Lantern’s Fierce Love-Interest, Carol Ferris originally appeared on Starmometer on May 31, 2011.

Ryan Reynolds has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most sought after leading men, especially after two very distinctive recent hit projects that surpassed the $300,000,000 mark at the global boxoffice — the romantic comedy “The Proposal” opposite Sandra Bullock, and the fantasy-adventure “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” in the role of Deadpool.

Now, he plays another iconic superhero in Warner Bros.’ “Green Lantern” as Hal Jordan, the first human ever to be selected to be a part of the Green Lantern Corps — a brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order. Reynolds discusses his character and the adventure of training for, and creating the film, in the following interview.

Question: Hal Jordan is an interesting superhero in that he’s so flawed and has to find so much inside to become Green Lantern. Can you tell me about him?

Ryan Reynolds: When you meet him he’s a deeply arrogant, kind of reckless, immature, and kind of self-possessed guy. I mean, that’s from my point of view. And this ring that he’s bestowed by this dying alien unbeknownst to him is a gift, which at first seems kind of like a curse. And what I loved about it was that it, in essence, humbles him and forces him to grow up and acknowledge this higher calling.

Q: In some ways, he’s like the classic reluctant hero.

Reynolds: Yeah. It’s not that he doesn’t want to do it, he just doesn’t understand why he was chosen. I mean, given his past experiences, he doesn’t really seem like a likely candidate, at least as far as he’s concerned. So, I think part of the interest for me in the character was this quest to find out why. Why me? Why was I chosen for this thing? And that idea that the ring sees something in him that even he doesn’t, and I think that’s wish-fulfillment to me. That’s something that I think a lot of audiences love and I love about movie-making as well, is unraveling that mystery.

Q: Can you tell me a little about his relationship with Carol, and also your chemistry with Blake Lively?

Reynolds: Well, Hal has a long, storied history with Carol Ferris. That’s his childhood friend, and they dated periodically throughout their relationship together. And Hal and Carol, I think, are in love to some degree. But Hal just keeps getting in his own way, and that makes a relationship with her impossible. But throughout the course of the film, he sort of confronts this and talks to her about this and they reconcile to some degree.

They cast Blake Lively early on. She and I just have great chemistry and that’s something you can’t really invent. It’s either there or it’s not. And that has really helped me and helped her as well immensely.

Q: Did you and she have a lot of stunt-rigs to work with in doing some of the action for this film?

Reynolds: Yeah. I don’t know specifically what her stuff was. She did a little bit of the rig work. But, yeah, I knew it would be a physical kind of movie. I mean, I’m not 20 anymore, so with some of the stuff, it was a little slower getting up off the ground. But I still go for it every time, and that’s part of the job. You get beat up and bruised and battered. But you kind of expect that working on a movie like this.

Q: Did you do any training or preparation once you knew you were going to do this part?

Reynolds: I was training for six or seven months before shooting. I was in gymnastics every day, just kind of trying to get what they called ‘aerial awareness’ for the flying scenes, and just being able to move through the air upside-down and all around and not toss your cookies.

Q: That would be hard to get used to.

Reynolds: But you do. And it’s an interesting lesson. But that stuff’s part of the job. That’s the kind of stuff that actors love to romanticize a little bit too much but it’s just part of the course. On a movie like this, you’ve got to be ready.

Q: Can you tell me about Hal’s relationship with Sinestro and what it was like to work with Mark Strong in building that dynamic on-screen?

Reynolds: Well, early on, these two guys are like oil and water. I mean, Sinestro just feels like human beings in general are an inferior species and they have no business being Green Lanterns, and he can’t quite figure out why the ring chose Hal. Although, I think, on a deeper level, he knows that if the ring chose Hal there was a reason and I think he’s a little threatened by that. You compound this with the fact that the ring’s former bearer was Abin Sur, who died, and that was Sinestro’s closest ally and friend.

So, his ring has now found a worthy replacement, and that was this human—this arrogant, cocky and, in Sinestro’s opinion, stupid human being. So, these guys don’t at all see eye to eye. In this film, Sinestro is actually an ally. So, it’s kind of cool to set the table for that future confrontation. But Mark Strong puts such a weight to everything he does, and he’s such a gentleman in how he works and how he navigates his way on-set and through life. I just love him. He was a true pleasure to work with. I was thrilled when they brought him aboard.

Q: How about Peter Sarsgaard as Dr. Hector Hammond? And they have an interesting relationship, Hector and Hal.

Reynolds: Yeah, they sure do. Hector is also a childhood friend of Hal’s, and they’ve known each other for a very long time. But Hector has always been somewhat covetous of Hal, and even more covetous of his relationship with Carol Ferris. So, Hector’s a guy who’s trying to fill a bucket with holes in the bottom, and I think what Peter brought to the table, which was so interesting with Hector, is that he didn’t play him as a villain or a bad guy. He’s a somewhat sympathetic character. I think those are the most interesting villains because there’s no such thing as a bad guy who just wakes up in the morning and says, ‘I’m going to hurt people.’ It’s more about having a deeply opposing point of view, and that’s what a great villain is because they have conviction in what they believe in, and they believe it’s right. He brought something very interesting to that guy, and you feel for him as much as you want him to stop. And that’s something that’s great for an audience.

Q: This movie is such a big effects movie, and so much of what you’re doing is going to be in these intergalactic environments. And what were your impressions of the world, Oa?

Reynolds: Oh, it’s amazing. I mean, it’s such a magical place. I can imagine it’s no small feat for a group of artists and graphic designers to create a world that doesn’t exist at all. But what a treat! It must’ve been a really fun job as well. It’s breathtaking! Oa’s probably the most beautiful thing or place I’ve ever seen. I’d like to live there.

Q: If there’s something that you could say to the fans of Green Lantern the comic who have grown up with it or just found it recently, what do you think that they have to look forward to?

Reynolds: They’re going to see all the ancillary Lanterns who are assembled on Oa—they’re going to see all of those characters as well. I mean, there are a lot of surprise appearances by different Lanterns in the Corps, and I think that that’s something that Green Lantern fans are going to really love.

Sometimes they just show up for a brief line and you just see them in the background. So, I think it’s going to be that ability to lean into the movie while watching it and look in the deep background and see some character that you’ve known for 40 or 50 years, which is pretty cool.

Q: At Comic Con last year, there was this magic moment where you recited the Green Lantern oath for a little kid in the audience, and even just watching on tape just gave me chills. Do you feel that pressure to be this embodiment of all these qualities that so many kids look up to?

Reynolds: I think I do to some degree. You have to have a healthy separation from that as well and live your life as an individual separate from the green guy. But, yeah, I think I do. I think it’s kind of nice, though. I’d be more worried about it if there was a great disparity between this guy’s character and my character in my personal life. I’d be a little bit more concerned about that. But I think they’re close enough that I’m okay.

Opening across the Philippines on June 16 in 3D, 2D and regular format, “Green Lantern” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Q&A with Ryan Reynolds, First Human Chosen to be a ‘Green Lantern’ originally appeared on Starmometer on May 25, 2011.

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Reynolds).

Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

Campbell directs “Green Lantern” from a screenplay by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, story by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim, based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.

The film also stars Blake Lively (“The Town,” TV’s “Gossip Girl”) as the spirited Carol Ferris, a test pilot and the heir apparent to her father’s aviation company; Peter Sarsgaard (“An Education,” “Flightplan”) as scientist Dr. Hector Hammond; Mark Strong (“Sherlock Holmes”) as Sinestro, Jordan’s powerful mentor in the Green Lantern Corps; Jay O. Sanders (“Revolutionary Road”) as Carl Ferris, Carol’s aircraft designer dad; Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars” Episodes II and III) as Abin Sur, Jordan’s alien predecessor; Taika Waititi (TV’s “The Flight of the Conchords”) as flight navigator Tom Kalmaku, Hal’s good friend and confidante; Jon Tenney as Martin Jordan, Hal’s idolized father; Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”) as enigmatic government scientist Amanda Waller; and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins (“Mystic River”) as Hector’s influential father, Senator Robert Hammond.

Opening across the Philippines on June 16 in 3D, 2D and regular format, “Green Lantern” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Check out our coverage of Green Lantern here.

‘Green Lantern’ – A New Superhero Sworn to Protect the Universe originally appeared on Starmometer on May 10, 2011.

Bringing the enduringly popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, “Green Lantern” stars Ryan Reynolds (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) in the title role, under the direction of Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”).

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Reynolds).

Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

Campbell directs “Green Lantern” from a screenplay by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, story by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim, based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.

The film also stars Blake Lively (“The Town,” TV’s “Gossip Girl”) as the spirited Carol Ferris, a test pilot and the heir apparent to her father’s aviation company; Peter Sarsgaard (“An Education,” “Flightplan”) as scientist Dr. Hector Hammond; Mark Strong (“Sherlock Holmes”) as Sinestro, Jordan’s powerful mentor in the Green Lantern Corps; Jay O. Sanders (“Revolutionary Road”) as Carl Ferris, Carol’s aircraft designer dad; Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars” Episodes II and III) as Abin Sur, Jordan’s alien predecessor; Taika Waititi (TV’s “The Flight of the Conchords”) as flight navigator Tom Kalmaku, Hal’s good friend and confidante; Jon Tenney as Martin Jordan, Hal’s idolized father; Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”) as enigmatic government scientist Amanda Waller; and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins (“Mystic River”) as Hector’s influential father, Senator Robert Hammond.

Opening across the Philippines on June 16 in 3D, 2D and regular format, “Green Lantern” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Watch the new trailer of “Green Lantern” here:

New ‘Green Lantern’ Trailer Hits the Web originally appeared on Starmometer on May 5, 2011.

Also featured on the three-panel foldout of Vanity Fair’s annual Hollywood issue are Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), Anthony Mackie, Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy), Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network), Mila Kunis (Black Swan), Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Garfield (Spider-Man), Rashida Jones, Garrett Hedlund, Noomi Rapace, and Robert Duvall.

Side note: James Franco and Anne Hathaway are the hosts of the 2011 Academy Awards.

Here’s the full three-panel cover:

Vanity Fair 2011 Hollywood Issue: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Anne Hathaway & James Franco originally appeared on Starmometer on February 1, 2011.

The 34-year-old star of “The Proposal” and upcoming superhero movie “Green Lantern” bested Jon Hamm (30 Rock), Drake (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Robert Downey Jr, Justin Timberlake (The Social Network), Vin Diesel (The Fast and the Furious), Robert Pattinson (The Twilight Saga), Alex O’Loughlin (Hawaii Five-O) and rock star Jon Bon Jovi.

Here are People magazine’s Sexiest Men Alive in the last 25 years (including their age when they were chosen):

1985 – Mel Gibson, 29 – First person chosen

1986 – Mark Harmon, 34

1987 – Harry Hamlin, 35

1988 – John F. Kennedy Jr., 27 – longest gap between selections (eighteen months); only winner now deceased; youngest winner. Only non actor to win.

1989 – Sean Connery, 59 – oldest winner

1990 – Tom Cruise, 28

1991 – Patrick Swayze, 39

1992 – Nick Nolte, 51

1993 – Richard Gere, 44 & Cindy Crawford, 27 – People took a one-year hiatus from Sexiest Man and instead awarded Sexiest Couple

1995 – Brad Pitt, 31 – first of two awards

1996 – Denzel Washington, 41 – first and only African American winner

1997 – George Clooney, 36

1998 – Harrison Ford, 56

1999 – Richard Gere, 50 – first two-time winner (previous win was shared)

2000 – Brad Pitt, 36 – first solo two-time winner

2001 – Pierce Brosnan, 48

2002 – Ben Affleck, 30

2003 – Johnny Depp, 40

2004 – Jude Law, 31 – youngest British winner

2005 – Matthew McConaughey, 36

2006 – George Clooney, 45

2007 – Matt Damon, 37

2008 – Hugh Jackman, 40

2009 – Johnny Depp, 46

2010 – Ryan Reynolds, 34

Ryan Reynolds is People’s Sexiest Man Alive of 2010 originally appeared on Starmometer on November 19, 2010.

On this issue Ryan Reynolds opens up with GQ Magazine about his new movie that required him to be buried alive, the movie that made him famous and being married to Scarlett Johansson.

Here are some excerpts from the magazine:

On his first big movie, Van Wilder:

At best, this was a mixed blessing. “It made me the party guy,” he says. “I would walk into a bar and people would start lining up the shots. You could sum up my career at that point as a free shot at a bar.” This was neither who he was nor who he wanted to be. “I know it affected me more than I’m revealing, because I know that I went years without even saying the words ‘Van Wilder.’ Even now, when I say it, it’s a bit of a big moment for me.”

On his famous abs:

“It was a strange sort of sleight-of-hand trick I learned—I could do it again if I needed to and get there faster if I needed to. I have a discipline that has served me very well in my career and in my personal life,” he says, “and that’s gotten stronger as I’ve gotten older. I’ve always felt if I don’t just have a natural knack for it, I will just outdiscipline the competition if I have to—work harder than anybody else.”

How did things change once he married Scarlett Johansson?

“Things change when you get married in general. But in terms of being a couple that’s in a public situation and speculated about and all that nonsense, it’s changed a little bit. I’m a little more guarded, I think. I’m a little bit more wary of having my relationship turning into a soap opera. I’ve just unilaterally not addressed it. That’s kind of been the fail-safe for me.”

About keeping his personal life private:

“I think it’s embellished upon. It hasn’t been some covert operation. I mean, certainly the wedding was, but I believe anyone should have the right to have a private wedding ceremony. I think if anything’s sacred it should be that. But for the most part—I can only speak for me, as one-half of that relationship—I choose to remain as private as possible without being secretive.”

Ryan Reynolds – GQ October 2010 Cover originally appeared on Starmometer on September 21, 2010.

Buried is a suspense-thriller film directed by Rodrigo Cortes. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Anne Lockhart and Ivana Miño.

PLOT: Paul Conroy is not ready to die. But when he wakes up six feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time, fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only ninety minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.

In Theaters October 8, 2010.

Watch the HD trailer here:

Ryan Reynolds Topbills Alfred Hitchcock-Inspired Film ‘Buried’ originally appeared on Starmometer on August 4, 2010.

Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot who becomes a ring-wearing intergalactic superhero in this massive sci-fi epic from director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale). Though Reynolds has prior experience in the superhero realm from his role as Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, playing Green Lantern involved some major challenges, like getting hurled through the air on a wire at up to 60 feet per second to create the illusion of flight. “The first time you do it, you’re seriously considering an adult diaper,” Reynolds says. Still, he couldn’t resist the chance to play the beloved DC Comics hero, whose power ring can conjure virtually anything he can dream up. “Will and imagination are his superpowers,” Reynolds says. “We need a circus of Timothy Learys to think of things Hal would invent with his ring.”

Green Lantern is scheduled to open in theaters on June 17, 2011. It also stars Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Peter Sarsgaard, Tim Robbins, Mark Strong, Taika Waititi, Temuera Morrison, Angela Bassett, Jay O. Sanders and Jon Tenney.

Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern on EW Cover originally appeared on Starmometer on July 17, 2010.

Ryan Reynolds Covers Entertainment Weekly originally appeared on Starmometer on July 25, 2009.