Ryan Reynolds reveals he was hit by drunk driver at 18, spent weeks in hospital
Los Angeles, June 12
Ryan Reynolds has opened up about a life-changing accident from his teenage years, revealing that he was hit by a drunk driver at the age of 18 despite making the responsible decision not to drive after having a drink.
According to PEOPLE, the actor shared the incident during a recent conversation with his Welcome to Wrexham co-star Rob Mac in a video for GQ.
Recalling the events of that night, Reynolds said he had left a bar after having a beer and decided against getting behind the wheel, even though his home was only a few blocks away. However, while walking home, he was struck by a drunk driver.
The revelation surprised even his longtime friend and co-star Rob Mac, who admitted he had never heard the story before.
Speaking about the severity of the accident, Reynolds revealed that he spent four weeks in hospital recovering from his injuries. The actor said the impact was so severe that he "broke every bone" on the left side of his body and claimed the collision left the driver's vehicle completely inoperable.
"I spent four weeks in the hospital," Reynolds recalled. What? That's the first time I've heard that," Mac, 49, said with surprise. Oh, yeah, broke every bone in my left side," Reynolds said. "He hit me so hard, his car was not operational."
Reynolds also expressed gratitude to the medical team that treated him, thanking the doctor who helped put him back together after the devastating accident.
Despite suffering extensive injuries, Reynolds went on to build one of Hollywood's most successful careers, taking on physically demanding roles in several action films, most notably the Deadpool franchise.
In 2022, during a conversation with Variety, he opened up about performing fewer stunts as he ages. "I think it's important to do as much of [the stunt work] yourself as you can, but I'll step aside when there's something that's just too gnarly and there's a trained professional ready to go," Reynolds told Variety at the time.
"You're not allowed to eat Advil like cereal."
"Things start to hurt," Reynolds told Variety. "After I turned 35, being thrown onto cement wasn't hilarious anymore. It had been upgraded to hell."
The actor remains one of Hollywood's busiest stars. He is next set to appear in Mayday, scheduled for release on September 4, and will reprise his popular role as Deadpool in Avengers: Doomsday, which is expected to hit theatres in December.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Imagine walking home responsibly and still getting your life turned upside down. Reynold's story is a testament to incredible resilience - "broke every bone on his left side" and still went on to do action films. We need better road safety campaigns in India, especially awareness about how a single decision to drink and drive can ruin multiple lives. Our police need to take this more seriously!
Makes you appreciate the medical teams who put him back together. In India, we often take our overburdened healthcare system for granted, but stories like this remind us how doctors literally rebuild lives. Also, it's refreshing to see a celebrity being so honest about pain and limitations - "things start to hurt" after 35... aur humare haath mein hai. 😅
This is a powerful story, but I'm a bit skeptical about why Rob Mac (his Wrexham co-star) hadn't heard this before. Either Reynolds is extremely private or there's more to the story. Still, a good reminder that even celebrities go through hell. Glad he recovered and is using his platform for awareness!
This hits closer to home than I'd like. In Bangalore, we have so many cases where people choose to walk after drinking and still get hit by drunk drivers. Our traffic culture is chaotic. I'm glad Ryan survived and thrived, but this should spark a conversation about prevention. India needs stricter driving tests and harsher penalties for drunk driving. Yaar, kya zaroorat hai! 🚗💥
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