Throwback To When Ryan Reynolds Accidentally Slapped His Young Co-Star (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Ryan Reynolds is back in the headlines, and this time, it’s not about Deadpool or his bromance with Hugh Jackman. Social media just dug up a throwback interview where Reynolds casually admitted to slapping a child actor—on camera, unscripted.
Before you start suspecting Reynolds going full method actor, let’s clarify—it happened during the filming of The Amityville Horror (2005). He played a dad who slowly lost his mind (thanks to evil spirits, not parenting stress), and in one scene, things got a little too authentic.
Ryan Reynolds later recalled how he accidentally slapped his young co-star, Jesse James, in an unplanned moment. And while he immediately felt terrible, the kid apparently thought it was awesome. Meanwhile, the script supervisor? Crying. Just another day on set!
But Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively, are currently caught in a legal drama with It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni. People are scooping deep into Reynolds’s past, and this resurfaced moment is making the rounds likewise.
An Unscripted Slap From Ryan Reynolds That Nobody Saw Coming
Before Ryan Reynolds became Deadpool, he ditched comedy for a bit and starred in The Amityville Horror (2005). It is based on the actual story of the Lutz family, who swore their Long Island home was extremely phantom-filled.
Reynolds played George Lutz, a stepfather who becomes possessed by the devilish forces in the house. His character goes from a loving husband to a menacing baddie, making life a torment for his on-screen family. And in one intense scene, that possession led to the now-infamous unscripted slap.
During filming, Reynolds was in character, standing across from Jesse James. The camera rolled, the tension built, and suddenly—slap. It wasn’t planned. It just happened. In a 2005 interview, Reynolds explained that he never meant to hit the child. “It was actually horrible. I didn’t mean to do it. It wasn’t hard or anything,” the actor said in an interview with Radio Free in 2005. But the reactions were everything.
But while Ryan Reynolds was freaking out, Jesse James thought it was the coolest thing ever. “He looked up like he just won the lottery. It was just so cool to him,” Reynolds recalled. Meanwhile, the script supervisor was crying, and the Marvel star found himself awkwardly apologizing.
In true Reynolds fashion, he later joked about the whole situation, saying, “The Indians did it to me,” referring to the supernatural forces in the movie. While the moment may have been unnerving at the time, he admitted something was exciting about how real it felt—just not real enough to harm anyone.
The movie, also featuring Melissa George, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Jesse James, was a massive smash hit. Box Office Mojo reports it made over $107 million on a $19 million budget. But even with all its eerie moments, nothing was as startling as Ryan Reynolds’ unanticipated slap.
