Ryan Reynolds Turned Down The Biggest ’90s Horror Series
Right now, Ryan Reynolds is one of the biggest movie stars in the world thanks to the box office success of Deadpool & Wolverine. This really cements his journey from affable TV star to bankable Hollywood icon, but it turns out that Marvel’s sarcastic savior nearly had a very different career path. That’s because Ryan Reynolds turned down a chance to star in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the hit ‘90s show that transformed our pop culture landscape for the better.
Reynolds Already Had Experience In This Context
At the time, Ryan Reynolds was already a veteran of genre fare, having already made a guest appearance in The X-Files before being offered a role on Buffy. He appeared in the episode “Syzygy,” a monster of the week adventure in which Reynolds played a high school jock killed by two girls with creepy cosmic powers.
Given that he had already appeared on a TV show where high schoolers had to deal with otherworldly threats, you might think Reynolds would have fit right in with the Scooby Gang as they try to fight the various nefarious demons of Sunnydale.
Deadpool Didn’t Want To Return To High School
While Ryan Reynolds would have been a killer addition to the Buffy cast, he had a surprising reason for turning down a chance to star in this fan-favorite show. In a 2008 interview in which he expressed “love” for the series and showrunner Joss Whedon, the Marvel star admitted why he didn’t want to star as a high-school student.
Reynolds simply said, “I had just come out of high school and it was f****** awful” (as huge nerds, it’s weirdly reassuring to know that we have something in common with Deadpool).
Would Rather Move Forward Than Live In The Past
The star didn’t elaborate on that comment, but a quick look into Ryan Reynolds’ educational experience highlights why he wouldn’t want to return to high school on Buffy. He graduated from Vancouver’s Kitsilano Secondary School in 1994, and while a student, he ironically failed out of his drama class. Additionally, like Scooby Gang member Xander, this future movie star was frequently tormented by bullies.
Actual Role Never Confirmed, But Assumptions Have Been Made
Speaking of that character, it is often misreported that Ryan Reynolds was definitively offered the role of Xander Harris, an iconic Buffy role that ultimately went to Nicholas Brendan.
This is a natural assumption, of course … Reynolds has always been a funny actor, and Xander (more or less a shameless Whedon self-insert character) was the show’s chief source of comic relief.
However, it has never been confirmed exactly which role Reynolds was offered, leaving open the tantalizing possibility that he might have played against type as someone serious and brooding, like Angel.
His Career Took A Different Path, And We’re Not Mad
Regardless of who Ryan Reynolds would have played in Buffy, he refused the opportunity, going on instead to star in Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place.
Some think that if he had chosen to act alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar it could have supercharged his career; others think this could have changed his career so much that he might never have suited up as Deadpool.
Either way you katana slice it, he’s been downright blessed with great career opportunities, but let’s be real: would you really expect anything less from Marvel Jesus?
