Ryan Reynolds: How ‘Deadpool’ Helped Me Cope With My Father’s Death

Laughter was definitely a necessary medicine for Ryan Reynolds when he was dealing with his father’s death from Parkinson’s disease last fall, the actor revealed in a new interview for Men’s Health. And his starring role in the upcoming Marvel movie Deadpool was just the prescription he needed to help with his healing.

“I understand the idea of filtering pain through comedy,” he said. “Laughing can serve you in those dark moments and even help you crawl your way back out. … I think there’s something really relatable about that idea, that there’s something to be learned by taking life a little less seriously.”