Are Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal friends? -Nicki Swift

On-camera banter aside, it sounds like Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal forged a lasting bond off the “Life” set. Speaking with Access Hollywood (via access point) in March 2017, Reynolds recounted that many actors imagine keeping in touch with their co-stars. The unfortunate reality, Reynolds explained, is that “most of the time you don’t because you’re still living your life,” before adding of Gyllenhaal: “We’re still friends. That’s a lucky thing.” In turn, during a solo appearance on BBC’s “The One Show,” Gyllenhaal explained the single backbone behind his camaraderie. “It’s rare in our industry to meet someone, a contemporary, and there’s no competition,” the “Nightcrawler” star said, via the daily mail.

Gyllenhaal was so taken with Reynolds that he even wrote his friend an open love letter in Variety‘s in 2018. Describing their first meeting, Gyllenhaal recalled Reynolds hitting him as “a gentleman in an age of silly fools.” After meeting and befriending him, Gyllenhaal was unsurprised by the massive success of 2016’s “Deadpool,” initially seen as a gamble by studio executives. “Despite all the naturalness Ryan projects, the man works tirelessly,” he wrote, noting that Reynolds wrote at night to spend his days with his wife and children. That’s what Gyllenhaal most admired in his friend: “As good a writer and comedian as Ryan is, he’s a better friend, father and husband.”