Ryan Reynolds is many things—actor, entrepreneur, soccer club co-owner, and now, philosopher of self-awareness. Speaking at the TIME 100 Summit in New York City on April 23, the 48-year-old star reflected on his journey from trying on personalities in his twenties to discovering what he calls his real “superpower” in life.
“The last [talk] I did, I mentioned that the greatest superpower I ever had in my life — I’m not talking about just my career or anything — was knowing who I am,” Reynolds said, keeping it candid as ever, as per People.
He admitted that his younger years were filled with experimentation.
“When you’re young and in your 20s, at least I was, you’re trying on personalities like they’re shirts. You’re literally just, ‘I’ll be this person, I’ll be that person.’ Then one day, you’ve stolen from 1,000 — so you’re a genius, not a thief — instead of stealing from one. And you’ve pulled these different references and these feelings and you know yourself.”
In classic Reynolds fashion, the message came wrapped in humor and heart.
Reflecting on how he handled public perception over time, he recalled reading two wildly different articles about himself—one singing his praises like he deserved a Nobel Prize, and another, well, not so much.
“My reaction to both was a sort of disconnected, dispassionate observation, not an evaluation. And I thought, ‘That’s weird because both are stories that aren’t true,’” he shared.
“They’re not what I know to be my story. And it really clicked, and it clicked in every part of my life.”
TIME correspondent Eliana Dockterman, moderating the talk, joked, “You seem to have a lot of perspective for a celebrity — no offense.”
Reynolds, never one to miss a beat, replied, “I think so, thank you. I know a few that can expound. I’m off to see Hugh Jackman after this. He thinks I’m going for a friendly visit. It’s an intervention. ‘You’re working too much, man, you’ve gotta slow down.’”
He also touched on the slow-and-steady rise of his career, noting, “My career was in the aggregate, it was very slow. I didn’t have that overnight success. I was in my 30s when I started [succeeding]. The risk of dying from fame is much lower when you get older, so I was fine with that.”
