Ryan Reynolds credits his icon status to his family’s support.
The Spirited actor, 46, received the Icon Award at the 2022 People’s ChoiceAwards on Tuesday night, presented to him by his Free Guy costar Lil RelHowery. (Reynolds was also nominated for male movie star of the year andcomedy movie star of the year for his time-travel movie The Adam Project.)
Reynolds first joked in his speech, “I feel like I’m at my funeral, except Iget to leave. I guess I finally tested positive for icon. Been avoiding it foryears but here we are.”
He continued by thanking the people in his life, explaining that thatgratitude list “starts with my family and it ends with my family.” Reynoldsgave a shoutout to his mom Tammy and three brothers (one sibling joined him atthe award show) and his late dad James, who died in 2015.
“Boy, if he could see all the things going on, he wouldn’t be impressed withthis stuff; he’d be the most blown away by his three little granddaughters,”added Reynolds, who shares daughters James, 8 this month, Inez, 6, and Betty,3, with wife Blake Lively, who is currently pregnant with their fourth baby.
RELATED: Ryan Reynolds Says He ‘s Still a ‘Ball of Nerves’ Like His12-Year-Old Self: ‘I Hide It Well’
People’s Choice Awards Arrivals
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Elsewhere in his speech, Reynolds thanked Lively, 35, and their kids directly:”It’s gonna be a fourth child very soon. If it happens tonight while I’m hereI will be looking for a couch to sleep on for a little while. … But Blake andmy girls, you are quite literally my heart, my hope, my happiness. I joke thatmy family exhausts me, but in reality you give me more strength than any mancould possibly deserve.”
Back in November, Reynolds shared his reaction to being given the People’sIcon honor, telling E! News, “I feel like I’m getting old. For starters,that’s it, you know? And then I realize, ‘Yeah, I’ve been around.’ I’ve beendoing this job for over 30 years now. It’s a long time to do anything. And I’mlucky that I’ve been able to do it for 30 years.”
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“So much in the spirit of feeling grateful for the ability to do this job forthis long and stay in the industry that can very quickly be done with you —I’m approaching that honor with the same kind of gratitude,” he added.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Cassandra Tryon, SVP of entertainment live events at NBCUniversal Televisionand Streaming, previously said in a statement, “In any endeavor — whether it’sacting, producing, marketing or business — Ryan Reynolds has the uniqueability to create joy and authentically connect with his audience . He’sreceived many accolades over the years, but it’s these innate qualities thatmakes him so beloved.”
Last year’s People’s Icon recipient was Halle Berry. Past honorees includeJennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston and Melissa McCarthy.
Reynolds was honored last month with the American Cinematheque Award in LosAngeles. The Deadpool actor told PEOPLE on the red carpet that he won’t lethis kids follow in their famous parents’ footsteps until they’re older.
“Putting a kid in a business like this, it’s generally not about the kid. It’susually about the parents,” he said. “When they’re older they can do whateverthe hell they want. I’m excited for that. Our job is to foster as muchinterest in as many different things as possible at this point.”