Ryan Reynolds: Romance Isn’t Dead

In the romantic dramedy “Definitely, Maybe,” Ryan Reynolds plays a divorced dad named Will Hayes who ends up telling his daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin), the story of his relationships with three women from his past. Maya has to figure out which of the women in the story is her mother. The three women are played by Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz and Elizabeth Banks. Reynolds, 31, recently shared his thoughts on love, romance and his leading ladies, but he shied away from talking about his current girlfriend, Scarlett Johansson.

What are your thoughts on timing when it comes to love?

I think love is a very complicated thing. It’s mercurial, it’s up, down and all around. Who knows? Everyone is different. I do believe it’s a mixture of who and when. In the movie, it’s not who but when. But I think it’s both. A lot of people just aren’t ready to have a family and settle down and be married at 40. Some people are ready for it at 22 or 23. It depends on where you are in my life. Hollywood is a funny place because no one has to grow up, ever. Nobody is disappointed in you if you’re on your 14th marriage. They just applaud for some reason. It’s a weird place. But in the real world, it’s a completely different thing.

When you met the love of your life, how did you know she was the one?

I’m going to pass on that question. When Will Hayes met the love of his life, he was charmed and extremely happy, and he knew in that exact moment.

You’ve done other romantic movies before, so what convinced you do to do this one?

It felt like a romantic whodunit … I read the script and I had no idea who he was going to end up with or in what fashion. I also felt like this movie is a love letter to broken families. It speaks to something that is so pervasive in society, not just in America. Divorce is a difficult thing to deal with, particularly with kids. Somehow, [“Definitely, Maybe” writer-director] Adam Brooks made a movie that was not only touching but also very funny.

How was it playing Abigail Breslin’s dad in a movie?

[He says jokingly] I tried to limit the obscenities with her, which was difficult. Most of these child actors, you never know going in. Are they going through an eight-ball of coke a day? Do they have a hit album? So many of these kids are all over the place these days, but Abigail was such a little girl, a normal kid. And then she just unhinges her jaw and releases this incredible talent every day, and that was amazing. I found that I really learned from her … She’s in the moment, and that’s unusual. A lot of young people have that and they lose that, and I don’t think she’ll lose that’s because she’s just a normal kid.

Describe your three leading ladies in “Definitely, Maybe”: Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz and Elizabeth Banks.

There are no bad times when you have those three costars. I had a great time. I felt like I had a romance with New York City when I was here. It’s a huge character in the movie. Every day there’d be a different actress I’d be working with, and because of that, they’d bring out different things in me. It was a pleasure to work with all three of them. I wish I could single out one in particular, but they were all really incredible.

What’s the most romantic thing you’ve done for a woman?

Whoo! I need to lie down. That’s really subjective. I met a past girlfriend for lunch in London. I happened to be in L.A. when I made the plan. I got on a plane with nothing, flew right there and managed to make it for lunch.

If you could send a Valentine to anyone, who would it be?

Valentine’s Day is so funny to me. It’s a great way to stimulate the economy. I think probably Faye Dunaway circa [the 1970 movie] “Little Big Man.” I’d send her a Valentine, maybe a singing telegram.

Do you think being labeled a pretty boy helps or hurts your career?

Are you calling me a pretty boy? I shaved for this [interview]. I have no idea. That’s not something I focus on. [He says jokingly] I think it’s important to be distinguishable between a man and a woman. I am a firm believer in that. Just a little powder, now and again.

Your “Definitely, Maybe” character worked on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. If you could work for any political candidate right now, who would it be?

I would probably work for Barack Obama. I enjoy him. I met him and I liked what he had to say. Unfortunately, not everyone gets to meet these guys [running for office], but you get a real sense of them in the way that you can’t just from the political rhetoric. They’re all guilty of it. They’re all like Cathy dolls pulling their own strings. They have to, in a sense. That’s the way the political landscape is set up. I met him and … “swoon.”

Have you met Bill Clinton, and did they try to get him in the movie?

No. I don’t think they could cough up the $10-million-a-minute fee.

Are there any social or political causes you’re passionate about?

I think someone has to be critically stupid not to be involved in politics these days. It’s the fate of the world hanging in the balance. I’m deeply involved in that. I have an organization that I work for called FOMO — Friends of the Mulanje Orphans. I went over to Africa over the summer with John August, who wrote and directed a movie I did with him called “The Nines.” We went together as sort of a pseudo-vacation/“check it out.” We didn’t go with press. We just wanted to see it without any ulterior motive. So I got really involved with that. There’s this woman named Mary Woodworth who single-handedly saved 4,000 orphans herself. So that’s a pretty incredible organization in Malawi.

Is it true that when you were filming this movie, Abigail Breslin beat you in a dance contest?

She did beat me in a dance-off, but I didn’t whip out any of my A-game. I do a mean cartwheel.