Ryan Reynolds has made a name for himself as a motormouthed funny guy and a viable action star, qualities which he is able to combine to great effect in the Deadpool films. Over the years, the Canadian actor has proven to be a bankable star with a great sense of humor about himself.
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Like any actor, Reynolds has appeared in roles that many of his fans might have forgotten about. From a movie about a former president to a Canadian kids' show that only aired on the CBC, Reynolds has a long list of credits that have faded into obscurity. For some of the roles he's appeared in, though, that might have been for the best.
MONTY (WAITING...)
Even after he had proven that he was a viable action star in Blade: Trinity, Ryan Reynolds still managed to appear in some straight up comedy films. One of those films happened to be Waiting..., an independent comedy film about a day in the lives of the staff working at a casual restaurant.
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Reynolds played Monty, the cool waiter who is stuck training the new recruit, Mitch (played by John Francis Daley). Even though Waiting... has not exactly stood the test of time, it remains a cult favorite and hosts an impressive cast that includes Anna Faris, David Koechner, and Justin Long.
JERRY (AND OTHERS) (THE VOICES)
Ryan Reynolds went for a truly weird role when he starred in The Voices, a film about a schizophrenic man who, rather than take his medication, prefers to live with his hallucinations, which include his dog and cat talking to him (which are also voiced by Reynolds). Eventually, though, this character finds himself in trouble when he accidentally kills a woman on a date.
Reynolds not only provided a great live action performance in this film, but he gave each of the character's pets a unique voice and personality. The Voices was not a major financial success, but it has become a cult favorite, and really let Reynolds show what he could do with a unique script.
NICK (R.I.P.D.)
Most people would consider Green Lantern to be Ryan Reynolds's biggest film disaster, but that's only because R.I.P.D. is just so forgettable. In the film, Reynolds plays a cop who, after being killed by his partner, becomes a police officer in the afterlife. He partners with Jeff Bridges to stop undead forces from taking over the Earth.
The film was a massive failure, both critically and financially, and Reynolds was lucky that he came out of it relatively unscathed. R.I.P.D. was criticized for ripping off better films such as Ghostbusters and Men in Black. It remains an incredibly obscure film, one that hasn't even been made fun of in the Deadpool films.
PAUL CONROY (BURIED)
2010 was a big year for claustrophobic thrillers. First, there was Frozen (not the Disney one), a film about three friends stuck on a chairlift during a blizzard with no escape. After that came the film Buried, which starred Ryan Reynolds as a man buried alive in a coffin with only a lighter and a cell phone.
Besides some video footage, Reynolds is the only character to actually appear on screen, and he carries the film brilliantly. For a movie set solely in the confines of a dark coffin, Buried manages to deliver a thrilling story that continues to build tension and leave the audience wondering what will happen next.
RICHARD MESSNER (SMOKIN' ACES)
Smokin' Aces is the kind of movie where looking at the cast, it's hard to believe that this many people actually appeared in the same film together. Jeremy Piven plays a magician who, after getting involved with some criminals, decides to snitch, which puts a target (and a $1 million bounty) on his head.
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Reynolds plays the role of FBI agent Richard Messner, who is tasked with protecting the magician until he is able to spill the beans on the criminals he associated with. The film's plot leaves much to be desired, as the wild action is not supported by any sort of narrative logic. Feel free to skip this one.
GEORGE LUTZ (THE AMITYVILLE HORROR)
The Amityville Horror is a remake of the 1979 horror classic that was supposedly based on a true story. After moving into a house where a man murdered his entire family, the Lutz family begins to experience paranormal phenomena. Ryan Reynolds played the role of George Lutz, which was originally played by James Brolin.
The film is not fondly remembered, as even the original Amityville Horror was not exactly a major hit. Currently, the remake holds a rating of only 24% on Rotten Tomatoes. Though Reynolds does a fine job in the role, it was not exactly a showcase for the personality he has put into so many of his other roles.
MIKE HANSON (BUYING THE COW)
In the late 90s and early 2000s, there were a lot of films coming out about guys being guys and how annoying it was to get married and be in a committed relationship. Luckily, many of these films have fallen into obscurity, including Buying the Cow, a film so insulting to everyone, that even its title is a reference to a sexist phrase about not getting married when you can "get the milk for free."
In the film, Reynolds plays a character named Mike Hanson, a character who mistakenly believes he spent the night with a man and is therefore gay. This is exactly the kind of role that any actor would be completely ashamed of now, especially someone like Ryan Reynolds, whose sense of humor has matured over time.
MICHAEL 'BERG' BERGEN (TWO GUYS, A GIRL, AND A PIZZA PLACE)
People might forget that Ryan Reynolds really made a name for himself on a television show before transitioning into big budget films. He appeared as one of the main characters on the mostly forgotten ABC Sitcom Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place (later shortened to just Two Guys and a Girl).
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Reynolds played Berg, a student at Tufts University who worked part-time in a pizza parlor. Eventually, the pizza parlor part of the show was dropped in favor of following the cast as they pursued their various career ambitions. The show only lasted for 81 episodes but managed to put Reynolds on the map.
CHIP (DICK)
Dick is a film that rewrites history by imagining that the Watergate scandal broke because of the actions of two teenage girls (played by Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams). It is frequently hilarious and features some truly great comedic performances, including Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch as Woodward and Bernstein, respectively.
In the film, Ryan Reynolds has a very small role as Chip, the roommate of Brad Haldeman, son of H.R. Haldeman. Dunst makes out with him as a distraction while Williams sneaks into the Haldeman house to steal evidence. It's funny now to see Reynolds in such an earnest role, one he played when he was only 23 years old.
MACRO (THE ODYSSEY)
Although, if you really want to talk about an early role for Ryan Reynolds, there's no better one to dig up than his turn as Macro in the Canadian TV show, The Odyssey. The show centered around a boy who had slipped into a coma and was stuck wandering in a place called Downworld, completely populated by kids under the age of 16.
Reynolds played Macro, a villainous character who was part of the group of kids controlling a region of Downworld known as the Tower. This is by far one of the strangest roles of Reynolds's long career and one that he should definitely try to work into any future Deadpool films, just for fun.