Ryan Reynolds is Looking Forward to One Thing Above All Else During Break from Acting

Ever since Ryan Reynolds announced his plans to step back from acting, fans have been wondering how the Red Notice star plans to spend that extra time. The father of three is looking forward to spending more time with his daughters, whom he shares with fellow star Blake Lively. Reynolds doesn’t plan to make another movie until late next year.

During the Red Notice premiere, Reynolds, 45, told PEOPLE he didn’t want to miss seeing James, 6, Inez, 5, and Betty, 2 grow up. “We all want to be together during this time. Our kids are still quite young and I don’t want to miss it,” the Free Guy star said. He made a similar comment to Access Hollywood Wednesday, noting that their three daughters are “growing up faster than time and space would have suggested, so I want to be there… I want to spend time with them.”

Reynolds isn’t planning to completely walk away. He said he might go back to filming a project by the end of summer 2022. In addition, it really won’t feel like he’s taking a break for his fans. Red Notice, which co-stars Gal Gadot and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, hits Netflix on Nov. 12. He also recently filmed Spirited, a musical take on a Charles Dickens story directed by Sean Anders and John Morris. The movie, which also stars Octavia Spencer and Will Ferrell, does not have a release date yet.

Lively and Reynolds’ marriage remains the best thing to come out of their 2011 Green Lantern movie. The two have been married for nine years. “We really like each other,” Reynolds told Extra at the Red Notice premiere. “We really liked each other before as friends beforehand. We like each other even more so now.”

When asked if there would be a Red Notice sequel, Reynolds reiterated his sabbatical plans. “It’s just about being there, it’s just about consistency for me being there in the morning, being there at night,” he told Extra of his break. “Usually, we travel together, but my kids are in school now and at that age where they can’t, so I got to take a little rest… I’m happy to do it, I’m lucky to do it.”

After he finished shooting Spirited for Apple TV+ last month, Reynolds told fans on Instagram he was taking a “little sabbatical from movie-making.” Earlier this week, he confirmed this was a personal decision so he could spend time with his family. “I’m just trying to create a little bit more space for my family and time with them,” he told The Hollywood Reporter during the WSJ Magazine 2021 Innovator Awards. “You know, you don’t really get that time back.”