Ryan Reynolds said one of his most embarrassing moments on a film set came when he upset Denzel Washington by accidentally interrupting an emotional scene with his cellphone.
Speaking at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, Reynolds recounted the mishap while reflecting on his career.
The incident occurred while filming the climax of the 2012 thriller “Safe House.” Reynolds explained that Washington, known for his method approach, kept his distance during most of production, speaking to him only twice before their final scene together.
“I’m really, really scared, because he’s Denzel Washington, and I’m me!” Reynolds said.
Video of the conversation was shared on social media by Variety. “The great thing is [my] character’s terrified, so it’s no problem.”
Reynolds said Washington unexpectedly visited his trailer beforehand to rehearse, delivering the emotional material with intensity.
“It’s a powerful scene; he’s crying,” Reynolds recalled. “With this guy, with an emotional scene, you get it twice. The second time, if you f— up, that’s on you. It’s not going to be on him, and he’s leaving, so you better get it!”
When cameras rolled, Washington lay surrounded by stunt performers portraying dead bodies, delivering his character’s final confession.
“Tears start rolling down his face,” Reynolds said. “And suddenly you hear — and this is take two, by the way, because take one there was a technical problem — we hear [Frank Sinatra singing] ‘Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away.'”
The ringtone belonged to Reynolds.
“Dumb-dumb is sitting on his phone,” he admitted. “I can feel everybody looking around like, what the f— is happening right now? I can see Denzel with a tear in his eye.”
Director Daniel Espinosa and the assistant director quickly demanded to know whose phone had gone off. Reynolds said he initially pretended to join in the search, but Washington broke character to ask directly, “Who the f—‘s phone is that?”
Reynolds eventually admitted it was his, though the assistant director signaled him to keep moving. Washington, visibly frustrated, agreed to redo the scene.
“Safe House” went on to earn $208 million worldwide on an $85 million budget. Reynolds, attending TIFF to premiere his new documentary, “John Candy: I Like Me,” said the memory remains a lesson in timing, according to Entertainment Weekly.
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