Why Ryan Reynolds Puts Fatherhood First

Published: December 12, 2024

Why Ryan Reynolds Puts Fatherhood First

By Movieguide® Contributor

In a recent interview, Ryan Reynolds explained why he prioritizes spending time with his kids over being absent for the sake of his career.

“I don’t ever want to be an absentee [dad], and I don’t ever want to miss stuff,” Reynolds told PEOPLE when explaining why he has slowed down his acting career since becoming a father. “I, like, kind of die inside when I see their face and they have a competition or they have a sports thing or something and I missed it.”

Reynolds has four kids with his wife Blake Lively, ranging from a 1-year-old to a 9-year-old. Though he and his wife have always prioritized their kids by making sure only one of them is working on a movie at a time, Reynolds recently took it up another notch by taking a sabbatical from acting.

“Perfect time for a little sabbatical from movie making,” the actor told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. “I’m gonna miss every second working with this obscenely gifted group of creators and artists. These days, kindness matters as much as talent. I’ve been lucky to work with folks who are flush with both.”

“I’m just trying to create a little bit more space for my family and time with them,” Reynolds continued. “You know, you don’t really get that time back.”

Reynolds continues to have a desire to be a present father even though his kids are now in school. He has enjoyed falling into a schedule with them and living a normal life.

“I want my kids to have a pretty normal schedule,” Reynolds said. “For many years when my wife Blake would shoot a film, I would not shoot a film and I would be with the kids and vice versa. So we would sort of trade off. We never really worked at the same time. But we were always away. So the kids were away too.”

“Now that they’re in school, they have a somewhat normal schedule,” he continued. “I think it’s totally important for their development and I really enjoy being a present dad. I love taking them to school in the morning, I love picking them up.”