Ryan Reynolds recalls on-screen chemistry with Sandra Bullock, Hugh Jackman

Ryan Reynolds is looking back on his onscreen chemistry with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Jackman.

The 48-year-old actor, producer, and entrepreneur shared his insights during a 90-minute conversation at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 5, as part of the “In Conversation With…” series.

Speaking candidly to moderator Anita Lee, TIFF’s Chief Programming Officer, Reynolds delved into the magic of chemistry between co-stars.

“Chemistry is something that’s either there or it’s not,” said Reynolds. “You can create it, though, in the edit room… when you overlap dialogue, it’s chemistry. It feels like chemistry. It feels exactly like chemistry. So when you get two characters talking at the same time, we can still hear what they’re saying, but it sounds like they’re comfortable with each other.”

“But if you just have that natural chemistry, God, it’s beautiful. It’s just a wonderful thing.”

He added, however, that when it’s truly natural, it’s something else entirely. “But if you have that natural chemistry, God, it’s beautiful. It’s just a wonderful thing.”

Reynolds pointed to his pairing with Sandra Bullock in The Proposal as a perfect example. “We had so much fun on that movie, and you can feel it. You can sometimes feel it when people are really enjoying each other on screen,” he said. “We had such a great back and forth—it was a beautiful thing.”

Reynolds also reminisced his longstanding camaraderie with his Deadpool costar, Jackman. “Hugh Jackman is my other romantic comedy partner,” he joked, drawing laughter from the audience. "I’ve known him for 17 years now. Chemistry is a great thing when it’s there. Sometimes it’s not. And that’s a bummer when it’s not."