Carolyn Robertson
posted in CelebritiesRyan Reynolds' Facebook feed is normally home to funny photos and self-deprecating posts, but this week the actor used social media to share a very heartfelt message with his fans and followers.
The soon-to-be dad-of-two wrote a touching tribute to a boy named Connor McGrath. Connor was 13 years old, and he happened to be a huge Deadpool fan. He also had cancer, and while he "drop kicked" the disease for three years, he sadly passed away earlier this week.
Ryan writes that he met Connor, who lives in Alberta, Canada, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and reveals that the two formed a strong and genuine friendship.
"Connor was 13. But this kid... He was smart. He was funny. And not just funny 'for a kid' - or funny 'for a person battling something awful'. He was unqualified funny. He had that... thing....
It was the Make-A-Wish Foundation that brought us together. I can't thank them enough. Seriously. Thank you. Because of his wish, Connor was the first person to see Deadpool. I traveled up to Edmonton, Alberta to surprise him with a rough cut of the film. There were still huge sections with wires we hadn't yet painted out, jokes which weren't working (and still aren't) and green screens. Connor didn't seem to mind. And I'd never felt luckier to get to be Wade Wilson.
***Before you jump down my throat for showing a 13 year old an R-Rated film, please know this kid knew more swear words than a British chef....
I'm grateful I got to orbit Connor's world for a brief time. Grateful for the pages and pages of hilarious texts between us. Grateful to his parents for allowing Connor to spend time with a foul-mouthed child in the body of a 39 year old.
I called Connor, 'Bubba'. And he called me 'Bubba2'. We met because he loved Deadpool. In a certain sense he WAS Deadpool. Or, at least everything Deadpool aspires to be; balancing pain, fearlessness, love and a filthy (filthy!) sense of humor in one body. I wish he could've stuck around a lot longer."
Connor sounds like a really great kid. To say that my heart goes out to his family seems far too little, far too commonplace a sentiment. But it truly does.
Hollywood seems like another world most of the time, and the celebrities who make their living there often come across as caricatures. The sincerity of Ryan Reynolds' tribute to his young friend is crystal clear, though. You can tell that their relationship meant a lot to him.
The actor ends his post with a request for support for the organization that brought him and Bubba together in the first place: "If you'd like to donate to The Make-A-Wish Foundation, I can pretty much guarantee, your money's going to a damn good place. These people do not suck. They are heroic. Full stop. http://makeawishna.ca/wishes/donate."
More of our favorite famous dads...
No comments:
Post a Comment