Before Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds Starred In This Sci-Fi Flop

Game ZXC

sci-fi

By Aya Tsintziras

Published Mar 12, 2024

The year before Ryan Reynolds starred as the hilarious antihero Deadpool, he played one of the main characters in the sci-fi movie Self/less. While fans know the actor from this major role and from the many comedies he has starred in, he has a more versatile resume than people might think. Between co-starring with Will Ferrell in the holiday movie Spirited and playing a small role in Scrubs, Reynolds has done it all.

Critics didn't praise the Ryan Reynolds sci-fi movie Self/less and audiences didn't enjoy it much, either. While the plot of Self/less could have made for a compelling and riveting movie, most agree that Self/less isn't one of the actor's better movies.

Fans Of Starfield Will Love This Sci-Fi Horror Movie Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds

Starfield fans who love horror, Ryan Reynolds, or Jake Gyllenhaal couldn't ask for more from a fantastic and thrilling movie like Life.

What Is Self/Less About?

While there are some underrated Ryan Reynolds movies, most of his fans would agree that Self/less isn't his best film. The movie follows billionaireDamian Hale (Ben Kingsley) who has been diagnosed with cancer that will kill him. Instead of accepting his tragic diagnosis, Damian learns that Professor Albright (Matthew Goode) has created a process called "shedding" where someone can transfer their mind to a younger, healthier body. Reynolds played Mark Bitwell, the character whose body Damian takes over. While the movie focuses on this strange idea, it also tells a family story about Mark, his wife Madeline (Natalie Martinez), and their daughter Anna (Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen).

Self/less Director	Tarsem Singh
Writer	Alex Pastor, David Pastor
Cast Members	Ryan Reynolds, Natalie Martinez, Ben Kingsley, Matthew Goode
Release Date	July 10th, 2015
Runtime	117 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes Score	18%

In one memorable scene, Albright and Damian talk about what they're about to do, which is the most important moment in Self/less. Albright says:

"You've built an empire from the ground up. People will insist that your buildings make you immortal. Now, as you slip away, do you feel immortal? We offer humanity's greatest minds more time to fulfill their potential. Designed to offer you the very best of the human experience."

This scene proves the theme of the movie: the cliche that having all the money in the world can't actually buy happiness, but what if someone tried to buy a longer life? When Damian asks "It's alive?" Albright replies, "An empty vessel."

Self/less is one of Ryan Reynolds's least famous movies, along with the indie horror movie The Voices. While Self/less wasn't universally beloved, Reynolds liked the philosophical questions that the movie brought up. When asked if he would do the same thing that Albright did in an interview with CBS News, he said:

"No, never. It's easy for me to say that now, I'm 38 years old. But when I'm 90 and want another day or two, who knows? But I think it's sort of a cautionary tale, in the sense that you really want to make the most of your time here as it is."

Reynolds said something similar in an interview with Fox News. He explained:

"I can't imagine the kind of arrogance it would take to say, ‘you know what, I'm going to use power, money, and influence to buy my way into another life’ that seems a little dark. I think make the most of this one and be happy when you finally close your eyes to it."

What Did Critics Say About Self/Less?

Since the Ryan Reynolds movie Self/less has such a low Rotten Tomatoes score of 18 percent, it's clear that critics didn't like the movie. The reviews included on the movie's Rotten Tomatoes page agree that Self/less has an intriguing premise but doesn't live up to it. While a few critics said that it's still an entertaining watch, they were in the minority.

Both before and after Self/less, Ryan Reynolds starred in many movies that fans and critics didn't love. He starred in the confusing time travel movie The Adam Project and the disappointing The Amityville Horror remake. But since Deadpool has been such a big success, that film tends to overshadow the actor's more lackluster releases.

After Self/Less, Ryan Reynolds Made Deadpool

After Ryan Reynolds acted in Self/less, he starred in the 2016 movie Deadpool, which was such a box office success that it led to two more movies: Deadpool 2 in 2018 and the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, which co-stars Hugh Jackman. Deadpool grossed $782,612,155 and Deadpool 2 grossed $786,470,484, which makes fans wonder if Deadpool 3 will make more money than Joker.

Ryan Reynolds has said how much he enjoys playing this hilarious, brash, and clever character in many interviews. In 2017, he talked to Variety and said:

“I would love to play Deadpool for as long as they would let me play Deadpool. We have outlines and stories for a number of different films.”

In his interview with Variety, the actor also mentioned that he would love to make a Deadpool movie with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Now that movie is actually happening and fans got to see the Deadpool & Wolverine trailer at the Super Bowl in February 2024.