Is Deadpool Ryan Reynolds’ alter ego? ‘It’s a faucet I can turn on and off’

BEDFORD, N.Y. — There are worse ways to spend the day after the 2016 presidential election than to hang out in an upstate New York B&B with 2010’s Sexiest Man Alive, Ryan Reynolds. Admittedly, the “Deadpool” star and producer is a little crispy from a late night watching election results and because he’s a dad to two young daughters (with Blake Lively). But like the affable Canadian he is, Reynolds rallied to chat about politics, anti-superheroes and being a “skin-covered antenna” with The Envelope.

I know you couldn’t vote, but what’s your take on the election as someone whose children will be affected by the results?

I woke up this morning after a delicious hourlong sleep and felt a little more resolved to make sure my daughters grow up in a country where their brains, spirits and bodies are completely and unreservedly respected. That’s one of my biggest concerns. It feels a little scary now, not just because of the president-elect but how divided and angry the country feels. The election process is one of the most emotionally violent spectacles I’ve ever seen in my life.

Will you sign up for dual citizenship so you can vote?

I’ve lived in the United States longer than I lived in Canada, so I’m excited to get dual citizenship and have a voice. I pay taxes in the United States, so I would love to have a say in what those tax dollars are used for. It’s time.

Politics aside, let’s talk “Deadpool,” which was such a huge hit for you this year and might even get some awards season love. Is Wade Wilson/Deadpool anything like you?

It’s kind of an alter ego; it’s a faucet I can turn on and off. Deadpool uses a hyper-verbal rapid delivery in the way he speaks and thinks. Oftentimes it’s abstract and takes you to an expectation, then comes 90 degrees to it, which is so much fun. If there was a mathematical equation to comedy, that would be it.

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Kenneth Turan reviews ‘Deadpool’ starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, and T. J. Miller. Video by Jason H. Neubert

Were you a comic book fan growing up?

I wasn’t, but I was introduced to the Deadpool comic books and remember reading one that had my name in it — someone asked Deadpool within the comics, “What do you look like under the mask” and he said, “I look like a cross between Ryan Reynolds and a Shar-Pei.” I thought, “This is a little too meta for my liking.”

CGI has obviously come a long way, but what’s your thought on why superheroes remain such big box office?

People have a tendency to look up at the sky hoping that some idealized version of humanity will come down and protect us from ourselves.

Isn’t that religion?

I guess so! Maybe it has replaced religion. The stories tap into this child in us that allows us to put ourselves in a position in which we fantasize about being that person and having those powers. Then theres “X-Men,” which is about people ostracized by society and disenfranchised to some degree, and that taps into an audience that’s slightly different.

Do you have a certain responsibility to ensure that women play better roles in superhero films?

Absolutely. I don’t feel like women in “Deadpool” were portrayed in a way that Gloria Steinem would put a stamp of approval on, but going forward it’s our job to do that to the best of our abilities. That’s one of the things we’re looking at with the next one. We want to see how we can pop more archetypes.

What was it that propelled you into acting in the first place?

I was 13, and we got to do improv at school, and it really unlocked my imagination. Every drama teacher was asked to send their four best drama students to this cattle call for a show on Nickelodeon. I wasn’t picked, but I said, “I’m going down there.” My household as a kid was a pretty stressful place and part of why I wanted to do it was to get out of the house. I was right at the age where I started to feel everything. I just felt like a skin-covered antenna. So I took the bus, 45 minutes each way, down [to the cattle call] after school for three days until I was the last fellow standing. [The show, “Hillside,” called “Fifteen” in the U.S.] paid something like $200 a day, but I kept my paper route for another two years.

Back to your family one more time: How has becoming a dad yourself changed how you see the world?

It’s given me anxiety for all the right reasons. I really want to protect my daughters and let them grow up in a world where they’re appreciated. I want them to have a childhood like I had — one of adventure and fun and in the outdoors. I don’t think I’m any different or deserve pats on the back for that; it’s just a shift of priorities and it’s important to let that happen.

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