On Dec. 6, Ryan Reynolds received the People’s Icon Award 2022, formally entering the esteemed company of previous winners Melissa McCarthy, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, and Jennifer Aniston. When the actor took the stage at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, he naturally had the funniest yet most sincere acceptance speech.
“I feel like I’m at my funeral—except I get to leave,” he quipped.
“I guess I finally tested positive for icon. I’ve been avoiding it for years but here we are.”
Ryan Reynolds
Jokes aside, Ryan made sure to show some love to wife Blake Lively, who is pregnant with their 4th child, and their three daughters: James, 7, Inez 6, and Betty, 3.
“You’re my heart. You’re my hope. You’re my happiness,” he gushed. “I joke that my family exhausts me but, in reality, you give me more strength than any man could possibly deserve.”
Ryan also paid respect to his father James C. Reynolds, who died in 2015 after a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, his mother Tammy Reynolds, his siblings, and himself throughout his address.
“If he could see all of the things that have been going on, he wouldn’t be impressed with this stuff, he’d be most blown away by his three little granddaughters,” Ryan said of the late patriarch. “To my original family, thank you for making me who I am. Thank you for your unfailing support of me despite some pretty, pretty damn questionable years there.”
Ryan was announced as this year’s People Icon Award recipient in November. At the time, he joked to E! News that the title made him “feel like I’m getting old.”
“For starters, that’s it, you know?” the 46-year-old said during the New York City premiere of Spirited. “And then I realise, ‘Yeah, I’ve been around.’ I’ve been doing this job for over 30 years now. It’s a long time to do anything. And I’m lucky that I’ve been able to do it for 30 years.”
Ryan said that he occasionally puts on a sarcastic act, but the Deadpool actor claimed he’s truly very thrilled to be recognised for his efforts to the entertainment business. Just ask his buddy and fellow troll Hugh Jackman.
“So much in the spirit of feeling grateful for the ability to do this job for this long and stay in the industry that can very quickly be done with you,” he said. “I’m approaching that honor with the same kind of gratitude.”
