Ryan Reynoldsis one of Hollywood’s most reliable and bankable faces.TheDeadpoolstarhas been a mainstay of the industry for over 30 years. Like many big names, he began his career as a child star, not achieving true superstardom until the mid-to-late 2000s. While starting out in kids' TV isn’t that unusual,what is surprising is just where Reynolds began (and what he thinks of that early role today).
Reynolds' first television gig came in 1991 on YTV’s Canadian teen dramaHillside. In the United States, Nickelodeon distributed the show under the titleFifteen. Reynolds played the troubled kid Billy Simpson, who turned to bullying others to cover up his own insecurities. That show was his launchpad, and Reynolds began to land feature film roles in the years that followed. Many stars don’t look back on their early roles too fondly, and Reynolds wasn’t too different, as he didn’t necessarily enjoy his time as a child actor. This is what we know about the actor’s journey to Hollywood superstardom.
Ryan Reynolds' Role in Fifteen
Fifteenbegan life asHillsideon Canada’s YTV in 1991.The teen dramacentered on the students of Hillside School as they deal with a variety of issues common for teenagers, such as friendship, romance, troubled home lives, and drug and alcohol abuse. Much of the action took place at the school, with little adult supervision. Yup, very ’90s. WhileHillsidewas running in Canada,Nickelodeon acquired it for US distribution under the nameFifteen. Its mature content made it an outlier on the typically tame Nickelodeon. It is one of the kid net’s only true drama/soap opera series.Hillside/Fifteenran for 65 episodes across four seasons before ending in 1993.
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Reynolds starred as Billy Simpson, the brother of the other lead character, Courtney Simpson. The impressionable Billy frequently hangs out with school rebel Dylan Blackwell, aspiring to be like him. During the series, Billy and Courtney’s parents split up, and the two siblings become estranged. This home struggle, coupled withissues at school, causes Billy to turn to bullying to hide his true feelings. It takes Dylan intervening to make Billy see the error of his ways and give up bullying altogether. Anyone who wants to check out 14-year-old Ryan’s debut can streamFifteenon Prime Video, though currently, only the first season is available.
A Less Than Ideal Acting Start for Reynolds
It’s easy for actors to look back at teen dramas they did 30 years ago and cringe.But if it weren’t forFifteen, Reynolds might never have seen his big break in Hollywood. After the show wrapped, he landed roles in the Canadian projectsOrdinary MagicandThe Odyssey. He also jumped tomainstream US televisionwith guest spots inThe X-Files, Sabrina the Teenage Witch,andIn Cold Blood.
Reynolds' stock continued to climb, and the rest is history. You’d think he’d appreciate hisFifteenrole, given that it opened the door to all these bigger projects. But in fact, the exact opposite is true. Reynolds despised the show so much that he almost left acting entirely because of it. When he appeared onLive with Kelly and Michaelin 2016, the pair played a clip from the series. After seeming shocked that they located surviving video footage, Reynolds detailed how the series didn’t exactly pay the bills, as reported byCNBC.
I remember we were paid 150 bucks per episode. And I still had a paper route. So I would do my TV show and then I’d go home and do my paper route each day.
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His beef may not have been with the show itself but instead with its status as his first role.Reynolds admitted that the show came at a bad time in his life, and he was not enjoying life as a child star. Taking a few years off, he returned withOrdinary Magicin 1993. The break allowed him to gain some actual life experience and avoid the troubled path ofother child stars.
I hated [acting] then. After that, I ended up working at a warehouse and I worked at a restaurant for two years. It’s actually good. I’m glad I did that because I didn’t end up like a child actor with some depraved drug addiction.
While Reynolds may not rememberFifteenin the best light, it was a stepping stone for all the success that came after. And what if he had, in fact, given up after that obscure Nickelodeon show? Then, thethree-decade careerof one of Hollywood’s brightest stars might never have materialized. Going from $150 per episode ofFifteentobreaking records at the box officeas an MCU leading man is quite the glow-up. Starting as a Nickelodeon kid isn’t that bad, either. It worked out pretty well for Ariana Grande, Kenan Thompson, Austin Butler, Melissa Joan Hart, Emma Roberts, and Nick Cannon, among numerous others.
In any case,Fifteengave Ryan Reynolds his start in the industry, and he wouldn’t be where he is today without it. It’s time thatFifteengot the recognition it deserves. Maybe if online streaming views were to pick up, we could finally see a release of the full series and appreciate young Ryan as he hones his craft.Fifteenis streaming onPrime Video.Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Reynolds alongside Hugh Jackman, is currently in theaters.
