How Ryan Reynolds Really Felt When He Joined Blake Lively In Green Lantern
The decade of the 2010s was a landmark set of years for the superhero genre. The Marvel Cinematic Universe hit its stride, director Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy came to a close, and the DC Extended Universe came into being. These events were the more positive highlights, but there were quite a few missteps and outright failures right beside them. Case in point, 2011's "Green Lantern," while displaying all of the potential in the world to be a smash hit for Warner Bros., is now remembered as a monumental flop for the studio.
Between its disjointed story, underwhelming villains, and detrimental overreliance on CGI, the live-action take on the famous DC icon didn't have very much going for it. However, it wasn't without its bright spots, such as its casting of Ryan Reynolds as wise-talking pilot Hal Jordan, who later became the titular hero we all know and love. The "Deadpool" actor gave the most entertaining performance he could for someone in a completely digital superhero suit, but he hasn't shied away from voicing his regret over trying the movie out in recent years.
Ironically, the chaotic project did end up changing Reynolds' life for the better — bringing him face-to-face with his future spouse, Blake Lively. Although, sparks didn't fly between the two immediately, and their time working on "Green Lantern" wasn't exactly a case of love at first sight.
Green Lantern set the wheels in motion for Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's romance
Filming of "Green Lantern" kicked off in 2010, and though Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were engaged in a budding romance on-screen, their real-life one had yet to flourish. He was married to Scarlett Johansson, and she was dating Penn Badgely at the time, but those two relationships came to an end by the beginning of 2011. Despite this, the two didn't become an item immediately and even went on a double date together, each with different dates. Little did they know then, this would become a turning point in their story.
"We were buddies then," Reynolds told Entertainment Weekly Radio in 2016 (via Time), recalling that "it was funny because, for about a year after 'Green Lantern' had come and gone and all that stuff, we were both single." He adds that it was "the most awkward date [from their perspective] probably because we were just like fireworks coming across," touting their natural chemistry with one another. Sure enough, their relationship would make headlines mere months later, kicking off Hollywood's fascination with the typically private couple.
Reynolds and Lively married in 2012 and have since welcomed three daughters into the world: James, Inez, and Betty. Looking back, it's crazy to think that "Green Lantern," one of the most reviled DC adaptations ever attempted, is largely responsible for the ongoing happiness and occasional social media trolling they enjoy to this day.