Ryan Reynolds Reveals What Happens When He Gets Mistaken for Ben Affleck

Ryan Reynolds and Ben Affleck are two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but to one pizzeria in the East Village of New York City, they’re one and the same. Reynolds revealed on a recent episode of the Dear Hank and John podcast that one of his go-to spots in the city has been mistaking him for The Tender Bar actor for “years.”

“They believe I’m Ben Affleck, and I’ve never corrected them,” Reynolds said. The Deadpool actor continued, “I feel it would not go over well if I revealed. … They’re not giving me free pizza based on the fact. I do everything normal like everybody else.” Because of this leading man mix-up, Reynolds said he’s often asked about how Affleck’s girlfriend, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, is doing. 

“They just think I’m Ben Affleck ,and they’ll ask how J.Lo is and I’m like, ‘Great, good.’ I get the pizza, and off I go,” he added. Adding to the case of mistaken identity, Reynolds said he looks “mildly sort of put out,” so that “when I leave, I think they sort of think, ‘I don’t think Ben Affleck is amused by us and our questions.’”

When he’s not being mistaken for the Batman star, Reynolds said he’s also confused for fellow famous Canadian actor Ryan Gosling. “Years ago, I used to play fast and a little loose more on Twitter. These days, I’m a little bit more reserved,” he said, before repeating a joke he once tweeted about how to tell him apart from Gosling. “I said, ‘Well the difference is easy to spot. Ryan Gosling has blond hair and Ryan Reynolds is a [expletive].” 

If Reynolds had starred in The Notebook instead of Gosling, however, the Red Notice actor joked the movie wouldn’t be nearly as big of a hit. “That would have failed horrendously,” he said. “It would have been worse. I promise you. It would have been unwatchable.”

Reynolds has actually been on a “little sabbatical from movie making,” he announced on social media in October. “Perfect time for a little sabbatical from movie making. I’m gonna miss every second working with this obscenely gifted group of creators and artists,” he wrote after wrapping on Spirited. “These days, kindness matters as much as talent. I’ve been lucky to work with folks who are flush with both.”