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Last month, Martha Stewart made headlines when she appeared on the Bilt Rewards Rent Free game show and shared that Ryan Reynolds is “not so funny in real life.” Ryan and Blake Lively are neighbors with Martha in upstate New York (I’m from Long Island; anything north of the city is upstate). At the time, Ryan responded with an unfunny, somewhat cryptic Tweet about Martha being “unexpectedly spry.” Ryan sat down for a lengthy interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he was asked about what Martha said about him. Ryan took it all in stride, putting it into an overall context of both showbiz and social anxiety.

Question: Recently, social media erupted over your neighbor Martha Stewart saying you weren’t funny. Were your feelings hurt?

If you can’t take a punch in this business, you’re in trouble. But why would people ever assume the way they see you on camera is how you’re going to be in real life? Right? You’re just a person. But I do it, too. I’m a fan of people and I love certain people’s work, and I’m thinking when I meet them, I want to see little glimpses of that.

I don’t think what happened was designed to hurt anyone. That was just an incredibly valid observation that someone made. Lots of people would say I’m very serious if they met me. I can’t imagine entering any room in which I don’t intimately know the people, where I suddenly kind of turn on and perform.

I’ve always been one to be very quiet, and part of that is anxiety I’ve carried with me since I was a kid. And at times it’s very normal for anyone and everyone to experience anxiety. Some people’s anxiety, and I include mine, has a tendency to go down a slippery slope that needs to be managed to some degree. I grew up with a man, my father, Jim Reynolds, who would not say a word about anything that touched on vulnerability. But yes, I’ve always been much more shy around people that I don’t know unless I’m stepping out on a stage.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

Honestly, Ryan’s explanation to why Martha doesn’t think he’s funny in person is both relatable and reasonable. It makes a lot of sense to me because I know a lot of people who are like this. They’re able to turn it “on” professionally, but really need to recharge or retreat behind-the-scenes. I also think that he’s right about needing to be able to “take a punch” in showbiz. From all that we’ve heard, people respect you for either punching back or deflecting these kinds of things in order to neutralize them. It’s also interesting that Ryan seemingly alludes to some of his heroes not being who he wants them to be. Heck, I’m a true extrovert, but, like most people, I also deal with social anxiety. Instead of being quiet around people, I overcompensate, and then leave every encounter wishing I could have been quiet and serious. I can absolutely see a situation in which Martha and Ryan are at some neighborhood bake sale and Martha expects movie-Ryan to be real-life Ryan, not realizing that there’s a reason that he’s not doing stand-up or improv. Maybe we need some sort of reality show with the two of them and Snoop. They can call it “Real Homeowners of Bedford, NY.”

Ryan’s whole interview is pretty good, and I recommend checking it out if you can. He talks about a lot of things, including Deadpool, his business endeavors, Taylor Swift, viewing Trump’s America as a Canadian, and more. You can check out the full interview here. It’s a good read.

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