Ryan Reynolds, aka Deadpool, Mint Mobile’s unofficial mascot, and the man who can make sarcasm sound like a love language, got real (like, tearjerker real) about his father’s long battle with Parkinson’s disease—and honestly, someone pass the tissues and the tequila.
The 48-year-old walking six-pack (who also acts occasionally) was spotted at the Acadia Pharmaceuticals’ fancy, science-y panel in NYC for Parkinson’s Awareness Month. He wasn’t there to sell gin or tease a new superhero suit—nope. He came to open up about something way deeper than a plot twist in a Marvel movie: his dad, James Chester, who battled Parkinson’s for two decades before his passing in 2015.
“Imagine being a working-class guy with four kids, slowly losing control over your body, and still trying to dad your way through it,” Ryan shared with IconicHipster.com, probably while still looking like a snack. “It messes with your psyche. Like, big time. And on top of that, he had hallucinations and delusions, which—fun fact—aren’t as whimsical as they sound.”
Ryan explained how his dad, a no-nonsense, pride-powered man, basically treated the word “Parkinson’s” like it was Voldemort. He said it out loud twice. In. His. Life. That’s less than most people say “pumpkin spice.”
“He wasn’t going to talk about the emotional toll. Nope. Big ‘stuff it down and walk it off’ energy,” Ryan said. “If the treatments available today were around back then, things might’ve been different. He could’ve had a better quality of life—or at least less of a psychological rollercoaster.”
And Ryan didn’t stop there—he turned the spotlight on caregivers too (because he’s the kind of guy who’d give you his last French fry and also check on your feelings).
“Caregiver fatigue is real. It’s like dragging around a giant invisible sack of emotional bricks,” he said. “My mom? She was the MVP. She took care of my dad through all of it. And when you’re dealing with someone who’s too proud to let anyone help—like, ‘Nope, I got this, even though I clearly do not got this’—it’s tough.”
Reynolds emphasized how important it is to support everyone affected by Parkinson’s—not just the person with the diagnosis.
“When caregivers reach out, I always make time. Because sometimes, they need just as much support as the patients. Also, they probably need wine. Or a nap. Or both.”
So yeah, under all the superhero spandex and perfectly timed one-liners, Ryan’s just a guy who went through something hard, and wants others to feel less alone while they’re doing the same. Classic Canadian heart, wrapped in Hollywood abs.
