Wrexham take on Cardiff City on Tuesday night in a thrilling all-Welsh clash in the Carabao Cup, their first meeting in 21 years. Currently sitting 16th in the Championship, the Red Dragons have experienced an incredible rise in recent years, leaping from non-league to the second tier of English football in just three seasons. This remarkable journey was overseen by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who have greatly increased Wrexham’s profile.
Reynolds has used his film star status, global appeal and significant wealth to enhance Wrexham’s international brand, and in particular strengthen the club’s ties to the city. As his team takes on the Bluebirds, here’s everything you need to know about his life off the pitch, from his impressive net worth to his famous relationships…
career as an actor
One of four children, Reynolds was born in Canada in October 1976 into an Irish Catholic family. He tried his hand at acting as a teenager and had his breakthrough moment in 2002 at the age of 25.
He starred as the title character in National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, about a popular college student who fears graduation, and went on to star in Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, and The Proposal, cementing his reputation as a romantic comedy actor.
Reynolds first starred in the superhero film Green Lantern in 2011, but it was his role in 2016’s Deadpool that catapulted him to Hollywood superstardom in the “action-comedy blockbuster” genre.
This adult Marvel character film had a modest budget of just £47 million, but its thrilling action sequences and hilarious comedy captivated audiences at its premiere, collecting an impressive £633.9 million at the box office.
Two more Deadpool movies have since been released, both of which were hugely successful, and Reynolds is set to return as Wade Wilson in the upcoming 2026 film Avengers: Doomsday.
amazing net worth
Reynolds has amassed a staggering net worth of over £300m through lucrative film contracts and various off-screen business ventures.
For Deadpool and Wolverine alone, Reynolds pocketed £68 million to produce, co-write and star in the spin-off films, and with further installments in the pipeline, the Canadian actor has even more money in the pipeline.
Beyond his acting career, Reynolds diligently amassed his wealth, purchasing a 20 percent stake in Aviation Gin and turning it into a globally recognized brand. Five years ago, Diageo, one of the world’s leading alcoholic drinks companies, acquired the company in a deal worth £486 million.
Mr Reynolds recently sold his Mint Mobile shares to T-Mobile and reportedly made a profit of £243m on the deal, making the deal itself worth a staggering £1.09bn.
Meanwhile, McElhenny and Reynolds invested a whopping £20m in Wrexham, which has paid off, raking in a further £8m in TV revenue from the Disney+ series Welcome to Wrexham alone.
divorced from hollywood actress
Before marrying A-lister Blake Lively, Reynolds went through a high-profile breakup. Around the time he landed his breakthrough role in Van Wilder, Reynolds was romantically involved with singer Alanis Morissette.
The pair first met at Drew Barrymore’s birthday party in 2002 and became engaged in 2004, but their relationship ended three years later.
Following this, Reynolds began seeing Scarlett Johansson, one of Hollywood’s most popular actresses. The two married in September 2008, but the marriage ended in divorce in 2010 due to career pressures and limited time together.
It’s worth noting that there was a huge age difference between the two, with Reynolds in his early 30s and Johansson in her early 20s.
Before Reynolds met his future wife Lively on the set of Green Lantern, there were also rumors of romantic relationships with other stars, including Sandra Bullock, Melissa Joan Hart, and Charlize Theron.
The two married in 2012, a year after the film’s release. Reynolds and Lively, best known for her role as Serena van der Woodsen on the hit series Gossip Girl, are now parents to four children.
The couple maintains a playful dynamic, frequently teasing each other on social media platforms.
