Ryan Reynolds Praises Blake Lively’s Pandemic Parenting Skills in Touching Interview

Ryan Reynolds praised Blake Lively‘s teaching and parenting skills during the coronavirus pandemic last year, noting that the Gossip Girl star was “so much better” with their daughters last year than he was. Reynolds also acknowledged he was “fortunate” last year, at a time when many families struggled with economic hardships. Lively, 33, and Reynolds, 44, are parents to three daughters, James, 6, Inez, 4, and Betty, 21 months.

“They had a tough time,” Reynolds said of his children’s experience last year during a recent appearance on the SmartLess podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett. “I was seeking out external help left and right. I was reading books. I was trying some way to steer the ship. Blake was so much better at it than I was because I’m also a child.” Reynolds noted that the family was “fortunate” to not have to live paycheck to paycheck, adding that he “did a lot of writing” and “started medication practice” during the pandemic, reports E! News.

Reynolds also explained a rule he and Lively established that he has talked about before. They refuse to work on movies at the same time, so at least one of them can be with their children. “I’m present with my kids and my wife and my marriage is incredibly important to me and that friendship is important to me,” he explained. “Blake and I don’t do movies at the same time. When Blake is ready to do some stuff, I’ll step down and then we go back and forth. She’ll do a film and I’ll be with her on location hanging out with the kids.”

Reynolds and Lively met while making Green Lantern, a critically-panned DC Comics movie he referred to as “the darkest crease on the anus of the universe.” After filming wrapped, they kept in touch and even went on a double date with other people. “We hung out and we always kind of kept in touch sort of casually and next thing you know, she was going to Boston. I was going to Boston and I said I’ll ride with you,” Reynolds said on SmartLess. “We got on the train and rode together and then I was just begging her to sleep with me.”

Lively and Reynolds are also fiercely protective of their children’s image and privacy. The couple didn’t even reveal Betty’s name until Taylor Swift named a song on Folklore after their youngest child. Last week, Lively also expressed her frustrations with paparazzi who “stalked” her when she took their daughters out for a walk in New York City. She blasted the Daily Mail for editing the photos to make it seem as if Lively was smiling at the photographers. That could not be further from the truth though, Lively wrote in an Instagram comment. Lively called the experience “frightening.”

“Tell the whole story [Daily Mail],” she wrote. “At minimum, listen to your followers. They too understand this is dark and upsetting that you pay people to stalk children. Please stop paying grown-ass men to hide and hunt children. There are plenty of pictures you could’ve published without the kids. Please delete. C’mon. Get with the times.”

Reynolds’ next film is Free Guy, which was delayed because of the pandemic and finally hits theaters on Aug. 13. He also recently starred in Red Notice, which Netflix will also release later this year. Lively was last seen in The Rhythm Section and was cast in The Husband’s Secret, an adaptation of the Liane Moriarty novel.