Ryan Reynolds says his dad was like a "full-time landmine".
The 41-year-old actor’s father Jim passed away in 2015, after a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, and Ryan has opened up about their difficult relationship, which gave the Hollywood star anxiety and left him using humour as a defence mechanism.
The Canadian star – who is the youngest of four brothers – said: "My dad was a tough guy. He was good in many ways as well, but he was tough on us.
"This is not meant to be some sob story – everyone carries their own bag of rocks around and I am no different in that regard – but growing up in my house, it was never relaxing or easy and I know that, throughout my life, I’ve dealt with anxiety in different ways."
The ‘Deadpool 2’ actor – who has daughters James, three, and 18-month-old Ines with his wife Blake Lively – is known for his outgoing personality.
But Ryan has admitted to using humour as a means of escaping the "sadness and the grief" of reality.
Speaking to Mr Porter magazine, Ryan explained: "My brothers and I are all very, very close and we all share a bit of that type of humour together. I’ll look for the joke in things so that I don’t look for the sadness and the grief.
"I tend to get pretty depressed and I have some issues with anxiety and things like that."
The ‘Definitely, Maybe’ star has become a fitness fanatic over the years and admitted to feeling "a little bummed" when he doesn’t workout.
He shared: "For me, it is more psychological. Exercise is a means of expelling those demons.
"I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but anxiety is also a great fuel. I mean, my God, it’s the anti-complacency pill, but it’s also something that you need to manage."
Ryan Reynolds: My dad was like a full-time landmine
