Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have taken over the summer as the Hollywood couple's two films have been dominating the box office and headlines.
Reynolds' Marvel film "Deadpool & Wolverine" opened to $205 million, Variety reported July 28, setting a box office record for the biggest R-rated opening weekend of all time. The flick has continued to fill theaters all around the world and has already reached $1 billion at the global box office as of Aug. 11, according to Variety.
Lively is also having a successful run at the box office this summer. Her movie "It Ends With Us," based on the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, earned $50 million in its first week, Variety reported, landing in the No. 2 spot just slightly behind the $54.2 million that “Deadpool & Wolverine" added to its massive total.
Next weekend, Reynolds and Lively will have another showdown for the title of the top movie in America.
So how do the actors — who will celebrate 12 years of marriage in September — feel about vying for the No. 1 spot? Reynolds tells TODAY.com's Willie Geist during a conversation about his family and his efforts to raise awareness about Parkinson’s disease with Acadia Pharmaceuticals that they couldn't be more supportive of each other.
When asked about the budding rivalry between them and their films during an appearance on TODAY Aug. 16, Reynolds replied, "Only time in my life I’ve ever dreamt of coming in second."
He laughed and continued, "No, I think that’s the sign of a good relationship — be it a friendship, or a marriage or anything — is rooting for each other, you know?"
The pair attended together the red carpet premieres for their respective movies. Lively even made a special appearance as Lady Deadpool in her husband's film. Reynolds said that a supportive dynamic has always been present in their relationship.
"It’s always been the one kind of constant, with Blake and I, is that, like, you know, we really root for each other," he added.
The duo, who welcomed their fourth child last year, is known for having a great sense of humor and poking fun at each other on social media. Their latest playful exchange unfolded on Reynolds' "Deadpool & Wolverine" co-star Hugh Jackman's Instagram page.
In a July 2 post, Jackman shared photo of Reynolds sitting in a chair and pointing a finger at the camera. "The Greatest Showman" star captioned it: “'You want me to put this away?' — Ryan Reynolds, co-star, mouth breather, a------."
Lively responded to the picture and caption in the comments, writing, "My thirst has been trapped."
After over a decade of marriage, the couple and their family continue to grow. Curious how they got to this point? Here’s a look back at their love story.
2010: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively meet but are in other relationships
The couple first crossed paths in 2010 while filming “Green Lantern.” Lively and Reynolds were love interests in the movie, but were romantically linked to others in real life at the time: Lively was dating her “Gossip Girl” co-star Penn Badgley and Reynolds was married to Scarlett Johansson.
2010: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are both back on the market
In late 2010, Reynolds and Johansson split, heading for divorce, and Lively and Badgley also went their separate ways.
2011: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively go on a double date — but not with each other
After they both split up with their partners, Lively and Reynolds got together on a double date the following year. Reynolds shared a story about the evening while chatting with Entertainment Weekly in 2016.
“We were buddies then. I remember it was funny because, for about a year after ‘Green Lantern’ had come and gone and all that stuff, we were both single. We went on a double date. She was on a date with another guy, and I was on a date with another girl,” he said.
2012: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively get married
When you know, you know, and this couple certainly seemed to know they were right for each other because they wasted no time getting married.
Lively and Reynolds tied the knot in September 2012 in a private celebration in South Carolina. In 2014, Lively told Vogue (per Harper's Bazaar) that she accidentally burnt her wedding dress on the big day.
“Florence Welch was singing and they brought out these sparklers, and I’m watching her sing,” she said at the time. “I look down and my wedding dress has a big burn mark from one of the sparklers. Right on the front.”
Luckily, Reynolds helped her put things into perspective later on.
“Later, my dress was hanging up and Ryan said, ‘Isn't that beautiful?’ I said, ‘What?’ And he pointed to the burn. My heart just stopped, because it was such a sensitive little subject. And he said, ‘You’ll always remember that moment with Florence singing and the sparklers. You have that forever, right there, preserved.’ Now that’s my favorite part of the dress,” she said.
2014: The couple makes their red carpet debut as a married couple
Is there any better place to make your red carpet debut than the Met Gala? We think not. Reynolds and Lively must have felt the same way because they stepped out as husband and wife at the high-profile event in May 2014.
2014: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively welcome their first child
In October 2014 the couple revealed that they were expecting their first child together. Just two months later, they welcomed their first child, a daughter named James.
2016: Ryan Reynolds reveals the moment he fell for Blake Lively
In a 2016 interview with GQ, Reynolds spoke about the moment when he truly started to fall head over heels in love with Lively.
“(W)e were hanging out at this little restaurant in Tribeca that’s open really late, and this song came on and I was just like, ‘Want to dance?’” he said.
“No one was in there, so it was just totally empty," he continued. “And it was just one of those moments where halfway through the dance, it was like, ‘Oh, I think I just crossed a line.’”
2016: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively welcome their second child
The proud parents revealed in April 2016 that they were expecting their second child. Five months later, they welcomed a daughter named Inez.
2016: The family steps out in public for Ryan Reynolds’ Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony
When Reynolds received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016, his wife and two daughters were there to support him. During his speech, the star thanked Lively for standing by his side.
“I want to thank my wife, Blake, who is sitting right there who is everything to me,” he said. “You are the best thing — the best thing — that has ever happened to me ... second only to this star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”
2019: The couple welcomes their third child
After announcing her pregnancy in May 2019, Lively gave birth to the couple’s third daughter, Betty, in October 2019.
2022: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively co-chair the Met Gala
The couple went back to the place where they made their debut as a married couple — the Met Gala — in 2022 and served as co-chairs of the event.
2022: Ryan Reynolds gives a shoutout to his family in awards acceptance speech
While accepting a People’s Choice Award in December 2023, Reynolds called out his wife and children.
“I got to thank my family: Blake and my three daughters. It’s going to be a fourth child very soon. If it happens tonight while I’m here, I will be looking for a couch to sleep on for a little while,” he joked.
“But, Blake, my girls, you are quite literally my heart. You’re my hope. You’re my happiness,” he said. “I joke that my family exhausts me, but in reality you give me more strength than any man could possibly deserve.”
2023: The couple welcomes their fourth child
Lively announced September 2022 that she was expecting her fourth child. Five months later, she hinted that she had given birth.
In April 2023, Reynolds opened up about becoming a family of six during an interview with ET.
“You know, two to three was a huge jump ... three to four less so,” he said. “I cannot speak for my wife, but it’s just from what I’ve observed.”
February 2024: Blake Lively shares insight on relationship with Ryan Reynolds
During an interview with longtime friend and former “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” co-star Amber Tamblyn in February 2024 , Lively shared some insight on her relationship with Reynolds, including the one rule they set when they got together.
“I’m used to working hard and going and going and going and going and not stopping,” she told Tamblyn on her Substack show “Further Ado," recalling how long her days were when she filmed “Gossip Girls” for six years. “It was nonstop.”
“And then when Ryan and I got together, we made a rule not to work at the same time,” she continued. “Just so that we could always prioritize our personal life.”
However, Lively said that rule means “working really hard when we’re not. Just like financial planning and sustaining that; it takes balance.”
But Lively does not waste her time when her husband is working. The actor also shared that she sometimes takes up new hobbies to pass the time.
“So when I was in New Orleans, he was on a movie and that’s when I painted because I was there with him,” she told Tamblyn. “But when you have free time suddenly, which I don’t know since having kids, but I did, I felt like I was busy before I had kids. But carving it out to find a new skill, even if it’s for an hour or two, just makes you feel (good).”
She then added, “It’s nice to keep learning about yourself.”
July 2024: Ryan Reynolds reveals the name of his fourth child with Blake Lively
For over a year, Reynolds and Lively kept the sex and name of their fourth child a secret. But during Reynolds' press tour for "Deadpool & Wolverine" he finally shared more information about the newest addition to their family.
While attending the New York City premiere for the film on July 22, he gave a shout out to his family and revealed his fourth child's name is Olin.
"I want to thank my kids, James, Inez, Betty, Olin, who are here," he said to the crowd. "I hope that, if I’m lucky, this moment will be the most traumatic thing — that is, the contents of this movie — that happens in your wondrous life."
A few days later, he mentioned his baby boy in a video he shared on Instagram. In the clip, "The Proposal" star spoke to John Bell, the co-founder of the mental health awareness organization Walking 4 Hope, whose son had died. Bell said his son, Jake, was a fan of Reynold's comic book character and shared some sweet memories they had together.
Reynolds listened to Bell's story and responded, "I want to share with you that I, too, have a son."
"Boy, John, if I love him one-tenth as much as you love Jake, I feel like I’ve done a pretty damn good job," he added.
