If you’ve ever watchedVan WilderorDeadpool, and thought, “That lead actor looks like a robot built by Elon Musk”, you may have been right all along. In a recent Twitter post announcing the buyout of his company Aviation Gin,Ryan Reynoldsassured his viewers that everything was going to be business as usual, before appearing to shut down and collapse on the floor.
“Hey there, it’s Ryan Reynolds from the same wooden background in my home. I just wanted to address the big news aboutAviation Ginbeing bought by Diageo. Now, obviously we’re super happy and proud for our little gin brand, but I just want to assure everyone that nothing is going to change; in fact that we’re going to be working harder than ever. And all of our success is really thanks to you guys. So from our home to yours, thank you.”
After Reynolds collapses, a message appears on the screen, which refers to the actor lying on the floor as the Ryan Reynolds version 7.8 marketing machine, which has been discontinued after 25 years on Soundstage B. The message goes on to state that the robot’s mission to promote Canada, movies, tv shows, and Gin has been deemed successful, while thanking Elon Musk, Diageo, Atari, and the Canada Tourism Board for their support of the program.
Once again, Reynolds has proven himself the master ofviral internet advertisingby creating absurdist content that netizens can share and laugh together over. The actor’s exploration of the viral net marketing phenomenon began with the firstDeadpool, which had been stuck in development hell in Hollywood for decades until a leaked teaser from the film made its way to the internet.
The teaser spread like wildfire online andprompted fans to demand a Deadpool movie, thus kickstarting the most lucrative movie franchise of Reynolds' career. Since then, the actor has made a habit of coming up with inventive and funny internet ads for his various businesses, even roping in his friend Hugh Jackman for publicity by starting amock feudwith the Wolverine actor that regularly makes the internet headlines.
With his latest ad, Reynolds appears to have added a new dimension to his internet persona: that he has been a robot all along. If the actor’s past marketing efforts are any indication, the “Ryan Reynolds is a robot” theme will be revisited many times over the next few months whenever the actor needs netizens to sit up and take notice.
For now, apart from the sale of his gin company, Reynolds is keeping busy on the movie front. The actor will next be seen inFree Guy, a story about avideo game NPCwho gains sentience and sets out on a rampage. He will also appear in the upcoming sequel toThe Hitman’s Bodyguardalongside Salma Hayek and Samuel L. Jackson, aside from appearing in the Netflix filmRed Noticewith Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot.
