How many siblings does Ryan Reynolds have? Actor reveals brothers saved him from dad after he got his ears pierced

Canadian-American actor Ryan Reynolds recently opened up about the time his brothers took a stand after he decided to get his ears pierced.

In a sneak peek of David Letterman's show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, the 45-year-old actor revealed that his older brothers, Jeffrey, Terry, and Patrick, were against the idea of him getting his ears pierced at the age of 12, stating that their father would be furious.

According to Reynolds, one of his brothers said:

“You’re doing to die. You’re going to show up at dinner tonight and there will be a messy stabbing death because Dad is going to take one of the utensils and stab you.”

But Reynolds and his friend got their ears pierced anyway. Later that night, the star started to have second thoughts about his decision. Revealing them to Letterman, he said:

"I get to the dinner table and I remember sweat was dripping down my lap and I’m looking down and I can feel his gaze hit me. He mutters some swear word under his breath, and I look up and I look around and I see that all three of my brothers had gotten an earring to sorta save me.”

Reynolds termed it as “one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

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All about Ryan Reynolds' brothers and the star's experience growing up

Ryan Reynolds with his three older brothers and mother, Tammy Reynolds. (Image via Getty Images/Frank Trapper)

Although Ryan Reynolds has tried to convince the world that he has a twin brother named Gordon in real life, he has three older brothers - Jeffrey, Terry, and Patrick.

As per the outlet Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Jeffrey works as a police officer, Terry is a Mountie (a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police), and Patrick works for the community.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ryan Reynolds opened up about how his brothers helped him prepare to act from a very early stage. Being the youngest of the four boys, he learned to be adaptable, quick, and witty from a very young age.

He has been candid about his anxiety difficulties and has credited his upbringing with his brothers as a survival tactic.

"It’s intense when you’re the youngest of four boys. You sort of cultivate all these other aspects, survival aspects, that you wouldn’t normally cultivate, you know, being the oldest.”

For his role in Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds revealed that he connected to this character several years ago, since he was the youngest of his brothers and was always "considered a moving target."

During his interview with People Magazine, Ryan stated that playing Deadpool wasn't easy, but that growing up with his brothers was essentially a lifetime of preparation that he could depend on. He said:

“The way I stayed alive was with my mouth because I’m not going to win with my fists. I felt like I was sort of rehearsing for Deadpool from the get-go.”

Talking about his father in a 2014 article published in Time Magazine, Reynolds dubbed his father as “the toughest man alive: a former cop, former boxer, and full-time landmine.”

He stated that James Reynolds worked really hard to provide for their family, and "in return, you were expected to do what he said, often before he said it."

James Reynolds died in 2015 after a lengthy struggle with Parkinson's disease. The Free Guy star and his wife Blake Lively named their eldest daughter in his honor. The couple has two children, Inez (5), and Betty (2).

During an interview with Today in 2021, Reynolds noted that he was happy to be a father to three daughters because his brothers always ganged up on him. He said:

“I was always afraid I would have boys. Now that I have girls, I realized I should not have been afraid. I should have wanted boys as well. They’re just as rough.”

On the professional front, Ryan Reynolds is all set to star in Spirited, Imaginary Friends, Everyday Parenting Tips, Futha Mucka, and Dragon's Lair.