Ryan Reynolds is no stranger to poking fun at his 2011 DC movie Green Lantern. But, in a recent appearance at the 2025 Time 100 Summit, the actor took a more reflective tone, opening up about what the infamous DC flop taught him, and how it helped shape his approach to storytelling moving forward.
At the Business of Creativity panel (via The Hollywood Reporter), Reynolds got candid about the $200 million misfire, describing it as a pivotal moment in his creative journey, saying:
“I learned all the most amazing lessons I could ever have in the creative space from that movie.”
That movie was directed by Martin Campbell and co-starring Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, and Mark Strong. Despite the massive budget and a stacked cast, the film bombed both critically and commercially, earning just $237 million at the global box office and earning a low 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Reynolds explained that while making the film, he felt disconnected from the storytelling process.
“On that film, I saw a lot of money being spent on special effects, all sorts of stuff. And I remember suggesting, ‘Why don’t we write like a scene the way people would talk? I don’t know, it could be a fun exchange of dialogue that all doesn’t cost anything?’”
That seems to highlight a creative friction between spectacle and sincerity. For Reynolds all the bells and whistles weren’t enough if the heart of the story isn’t grounded in character. So, “Character over spectacle” became his new North Star.
Character over spectacle is the foundation of Deadpool, the wildly successful superhero satire that let Reynolds fully lean into grounded and unfiltered character work while still delivering plenty of action.
The actor and producer has also had a hand in crafting the stories for all of the films that he’s a part of to make sure that story and character stay at the center of the story.
Reynolds’ one-and-done stint as Hal Jordan may not have launched a franchise, but it did fuel his evolution as a storyteller. The lessons Reynolds pulled from that green-tinted trainwreck continue to echo through his career.
So, I guess when your biggest flop ends up sharpening your creative instincts, maybe it wasn’t such a waste after all.
Credit:Source link