Ryan Reynolds Thanked Canada For Its 'Imperfection' & Got 'Emotional As All Hell' During Award
"The main reason I'm standing here accepting a humanitarian award is because of how selfish I am."
Ryan Reynolds at SickKids hospital with his iconic ugly Christmas sweater.
Ryan Reynolds recently attended the Canadian Screen Awards in Toronto and accepted a special award.
The Vancouver-born celeb received the 2023 Humanitarian Award and got real about his platform and using it for good.
Lisa Charendoff and Everett Ho of SickKids Foundation introduced Reynolds, with the latter explaining that he's a "SickKids kid."
"I've had a lot of surgeries at SickKids and I love SickKids," said 11-year-old Ho. "I love you too. Thank you for caring for kids like me, Ryan. And congratulations."
The Deadpool actor gave Ho a big hug and thanked everyone for the "huge honour."
"There's nothing I do in this space at all that doesn't involve my wife, Blake," Reynolds noted. "So she shares this honour with me."
"The main reason I'm standing here accepting a humanitarian award is because of how selfish I am," he continued, saying that the work gets done by people far away from the limelight.
"People who, like me, understand that my platform can be spent literally and figuratively."
Reynolds also noted that what he loves the most is getting people involved in the journey and meeting "some of the world’s most gracious and interesting and diverse people."
"People who shaped me and re-shaped me over and over again, and people who’ve helped me and forgiven me and used their lived experience to teach me, even when that work was for me to do — not them,” he explained.
He thanked his mom for her compassion and noted his late father would find this moment very meaningful.
"I want to thank Vancouver, British Columbia," Reynolds said in conclusion. "I'd like to thank Canada for helping me start life with an awareness of all this country's beauty, its imperfection and a desire to make it better."
"So thank you very much for this incredible honour."
Over on Instagram, Reynolds posted photos from his visit to SickKids earlier in the day as well as the award show, where he noted he was amongst "some of the smartest, most innovative Canadian artists."
"I was gobsmacked and emotional as all hell," he said.
Over on her Instagram, Blake Likely posted his speech on her story along with some kind words.
"I love this man so much it hurts," she wrote. "Yes. Yes. Yes. To everything he says here."
Congrats, Ryan!
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.