The Deadpool star opens up about a life-altering crash in Vancouver—and the lasting impact it left on his body and perspective.
By Westferry Times Staff | June 12, 2026
Ryan Reynolds is known for his razor-sharp wit and self-deprecating humor, but in a raw new interview, the 49-year-old actor peeled back the curtain on a traumatic teenage experience that nearly cost him his life.
In a GQ video published Tuesday, June 9, Reynolds sat down with his Welcome to Wrexham co-star Rob Mac to assemble IKEA furniture—and ended up assembling a harrowing account of the night a drunk driver struck him in his hometown of Vancouver.
“I Made the Right Choice—and Still Got Hit”
Reynolds was just 18 when he left a local bar after having a single beer. He made what he called a “firmly positive and wise decision” for a young man: he would walk home rather than risk driving. But that choice, however responsible, couldn’t protect him from someone else’s recklessness.
“When I was 18, I left a bar and I’d had a beer,” Reynolds recalled. “I looked at my car for a second. I thought, ‘You know what, I’m absolutely not [driving].'”
Despite his caution, Reynolds was struck by a drunk driver while walking. The impact was catastrophic.
“I spent four weeks in the hospital,” he said. “Broke every bone in my left side. He hit me so hard, his car was not operational.”
Mac, visibly stunned, replied: “What? That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”
Reynolds expressed gratitude to the medical team at the Canadian hospital that treated him, thanking them “for putting me back together so kindly.”
A Haunting Memory from 2011
This isn’t the first time Reynolds has spoken about the accident. In a 2011 interview with CTV News, he offered an even more visceral glimpse into the aftermath.
“I remember my dad sitting there … [with] a vomit tray. And I guess I had been heaving in my unconscious,” Reynolds said at the time. “I just soaked the man head to toe in my vomit.”
He also revealed that he woke up three days after the crash, disoriented and severely injured. “Since then, I’ve been a rickety, broken mess,” he joked—though the humor barely masked the gravity of his injuries.
From Broken Bones to Blockbuster Stunts
Remarkably, Reynolds went on to build a career defined by physically demanding roles, most notably as the irreverent mercenary Deadpool. But the injuries haven’t faded entirely.
In a 2022 interview with Variety, Reynolds admitted that stunt work has become harder with age. “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,” he said. “After I turned 35, being thrown onto cement wasn’t hilarious anymore. It had been upgraded to hell.”
He quipped that he was no longer “allowed to eat Advil like cereal.”
What’s Next for Reynolds
The actor’s upcoming projects include Mayday, set to hit theaters on September 4, and a return as Deadpool in Avengers: Doomsday, scheduled for release on December 18. He also continues his work with Welcome to Wrexham, with new episodes airing Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FXX and streaming on Hulu.
References
- GQ Video Interview – Reynolds and Rob Mac discuss the accident while building IKEA furniture. Published June 9, 2026. Watch on YouTube
- USA Today – “Ryan Reynolds recalls being ‘run over by a drunk driver’ at 18.” June 11, 2026. Read more
- CTV News Interview (2011) – Reynolds’ original account of the accident and hospitalization. August 2011. Cited via Boston Herald and E! Online.
- Times of India – “Ryan Reynolds recalls being hit by drunk driver at 18, says he spent four weeks in hospital.” June 2026. Read more
- Yahoo Entertainment – “Ryan Reynolds recalls being ‘run over by a drunk driver’ at 18.” June 11, 2026. Read more
- Variety (2022) – Reynolds on aging and stunt work. 2022. Cited via USA Today.
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