Ryan Reynolds suggests swapping phones with a MAGA supporter, checking out their algorithm

Ryan Reynolds is photographed on the red carpet for the film "John Candy: I Like Me" during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan

TORONTO — Ryan Reynolds says mounting tensions between Canada and the U.S. haven’t changed anything for him as a Canuck in Hollywood.

The “Deadpool” star preached unity during an onstage conversation at the Toronto International Film Festival, when chief programming officer Anita Lee asked him what it was like being a Canadian in Los Angeles during this “elbows up” era of increased nationalism.

In a nearly five-minute answer to the question, Reynolds said he’s always held Canadian values, including conflict resolution, and he seeks “to learn, rather than win.”

Reynolds is at TIFF to promote the new documentary “John Candy: I Like Me,” which he produced.

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He says his approach allows him to have collaborative — not combative — conversations with people whose views differ from his own.

The Vancouver-born actor-producer-entrepreneur says he doesn’t have to agree with someone to work with them, and he doesn’t like the “us vs. them” mentality of identity politics.

“Sitting on set in America and working with somebody who’s MAGA — I’m not MAGA; I’m not extreme anything, but certainly not that way — and I say, ‘Hey, let’s swap phones for a second. Let’s see your algorithm. Check out mine,’” he recalled.

“It’s cool. Like you would be blown away. I remember looking at it and going to this guy, I was like, ‘oh that’s compelling. And I kind of get yeah I see what you mean.’ And he looked at mine and he said, ‘It’s fine.’”

Reynolds says he thinks sports games and movie theatres are great venues for people with differing opinions to find common ground.

Reynolds’ documentary opened the festival on Thursday, and Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a speech before the screening, walking out to a standing ovation.

As she welcomed Reynolds to the stage on Friday, Lee quipped that there was a “Captain Canada competition” between Reynolds and Carney the previous night.

“It’s not a fair fight,” Reynolds quipped, “because one day he will no longer be prime minister.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2025.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press