Ryan Reynolds is friends with a lot of celebrities (hi, Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman), but one of his most random friendships is actually a K-pop star — the leader of Stray Kids himself, Bang Chan. No, seriously!
Keep reading for details on how the Hollywood actor and K-pop idol met, what they’ve said of their bromance and more.
How Did Ryan Reynolds and Bang Chan Meet?
It’s a tale as old as time, really. OK, not really. Ryan first noticed Bang Chan after watching a viral 2021 performance by Stray Kids, which was inspired by Ryan’s iconic Deadpool character, Deadpool. Shortly after the video premiered, the MCU actor tweeted the group a simple “hello,” which turned into an adorable Twitter exchange, ultimately ending in Bang Chan and Ryan exchanging autographs.
The Proposal actor even claimed Bang Chan as his “new favorite Australian,” a title held by other Australian bestie, Hugh, for years. Since then, the two have wished continued to support one another via social media, and even met virtually during a 2021 interview!
Their friendship also extends to hilarious birthday posts. On Bang Chan’s birthday in October 2023, Ryan shared an edit using a clip of himself from the 2015 film Woman in Gold.
As his character searches online for TWICE’s “Like OOH-AHH” music video from 2015, he sees a clip of pre-debut Bang Chan where he’s dressed up as a zombie, before watching another video of Bang Chan on a radio show. Ryan captioned the post, “You only turn 26 once. Or is it Twice?”
Are Ryan Reynolds and Bang Chan Friends?
Bang Chan was a fan of Ryan long before they ever met, making their unlikely friendship even cuter.
The Stray Kids leader told Korean news outlet YTN, as translated by fan @kaeseorin, “I love Ryan Reynolds. Ever since I was young, I’ve watched all of [his] movies … and received inspiration from them.”
For his part, Ryan has definitely become a super STAY (Stray Kids fandom name) since their first interaction, and has even admitted to being inspired by the K-pop group!
“I watched the ‘NOEASY’ trailer a whole bunch of times,” he revealed during his 2021 interview with Bang Chan. “You guys do this amazing thing where you kind of blend music with the action genre. It’s something I don’t see a lot of people do, and it’s something I’m actually going to steal.”
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