"I had to wear that suit, so I put in my required time in the gym. But I'm not one of those actors who romanticizes his trials working out and brags that he can bench press a panda now"

Ryan Reynolds comments on the common expectation for actors to physically transform for certain roles, especially those requiring a highly visible and sometimes unrealistic physique. By referencing “that suit,” he alludes specifically to roles like Deadpool or Green Lantern, where a superhero’s physique becomes a visual requirement rather than simply a storytelling feature. He acknowledges that meeting this expectation is part of the job, and that to wear such a costume convincingly, one cannot avoid the necessary time and effort in the gym. This practical approach lacks any sense of glamour or pride; it’s a professional obligation, not a passion project or a defining source of pride.

Reynolds subtly critiques the tendency among some actors, often in blockbuster films, to not just celebrate but almost mythologize their workouts and transformations. The phrase “romanticizes his trials working out” refers to the way some actors and their marketing teams construct a narrative around physical struggle, implying great heroism or depth in the process of bodybuilding for a role. For Reynolds, this is an artificial or even comedic exaggeration. His mock boast “he can bench press a panda now” lampoons the hyperbolic claims of others, suggesting it’s both banal and faintly ridiculous to boast about newfound strength as an ultimate badge of honor.

His tone is self-deprecating and ironic, offering a counter-narrative to Hollywood’s culture of glorified suffering for art. It’s a gentle reminder that, while owning a superhero’s body may impress, it’s achieved through everyday, unglamorous effort, not a mythical journey of hardship. Reynolds distances himself from the image of an actor as a suffering artist-hero, grounded instead in pragmatic professionalism. At its core, the statement downplays the “suffering for the role” narrative by approaching physical transformation as simple job preparation, not material for legend-building or self-mythologizing.