Celebrity Celebrity Family Celebrity Family Dynamics How Blake Lively Helped Ryan Reynolds Reconcile with His 'Tough' Dad Ryan Reynolds has his wife to thank for helping him repair his relationship with his late father, who passed away in 2015 By Maria Pasquini Maria Pasquini Maria Pasquini is the staff editor for human interest’s digital vertical at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2017. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 24, 2018 11:32AM EDT Ryan Reynolds has his wife Blake Lively to thank for helping him repair his relationship with his late father, James C. Reynolds, who passed away in 2015. “My dad was a tough guy,” the Deadpool 2 actor explains during a new interview with Mr. Porter. “This is not meant to be some sob story — everyone carries their own bad of rocks around and I am no different in that regard — but growing up in my house, it was never relaxing or easy.” But despite their complicated relationship, Reynolds, 41, says he has Lively to thank for helping him reconcile with his father, who died following a long term battle with Parkinson’s disease. “She has a gift for foresight,” Reynolds added. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Ryan Reynolds Mourns Father’s Death with Touching Photo Tribute: ‘RIP Pops’ Although Reynolds didn’t go into detail about how the father and son repaired their relationship, a symbol of their reconciliation lives on in the actor’s 3-year-old daughter James, who the couple decided to name after his father. “It felt right,” Reynolds said, adding that even though his dad passed away shortly after his daughter was born, “he got to see her, which makes me happy.” Continuing, he said, “All family relationships come with some complications. For better or worse, all roads lead to here. At the end of the day, it’s easier to focus on the good stuff than the bad.” Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox. Ryan Reynolds on Losing His Dad After Complicated Relationship: ‘I Have to Accept There’ll Be No Answers’ Reynolds previously opened up to PEOPLE about the pair’s complicated relationship and how their “relationship never really mirrored the father-son dynamic I envied watching ’80s sitcoms.” “My dad left a lot of unanswered questions,” he remarked. “Unless I can find a very upscale Ouija board, I have to accept there’ll be no answers.” “But in the end it found its own version of closure in peace,” he added. When his dad passed away, the actor shared a touching vintage photo of the pair, which he simply captioned, “RIP Pops. James C. Reynolds. 1941-2015.” Close