Ryan Reynolds surprises students mid-class at Seneca College

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Ryan Reynolds surprised a group of students in Toronto this week when he made an unannounced visit to Seneca College.

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In a video posted to Facebook, the Vancouver-born actor popped in while journalism students were busy recording a segment on the Dr. Phil show.

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“While he didn’t share his exact plans, it’s clear retirement isn’t in the picture,” Reynolds said standing in for one of the students in front of a green screen. “For 25 years, Dr. Phil gave advice to troubled relationships,” he continued before breaking script and asking aloud, “Are you with me here?”

As the class erupted in laughter, Reynolds concluded his brief appearance with a joke. “Probably need to get that prompter moving a little faster next time … That’s my fault, not yours.”

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Reynolds, who stars in Marvel’s Deadpool series, told the students he hoped “I didn’t ruin your entire project.”

Journalism professor Bill Hutchison thanked Reynolds and offered the actor some unsolicited TV tips. “He’s pretty good on camera, he may have a future in the industry,” Hutchison tweeted. “Have to lose the coffee cup on air, though.”

Reynolds shared a message on social media thanking Seneca College for the tour.

“Wish something like this existed when I was starting out,” he wrote.

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Last year, Reynolds told former late-night host David Letterman that he wasn’t cut out for post-secondary studies, recounting his brief stop at Kwanten College in British Columbia before he made the impulsive decision to hop in his car and drive to Los Angeles in hopes of joining the Groundlings comedy troupe.

“I tried. I went for — I’m not even making it up — 45 minutes,” Reynolds said. “Got in my old Jeep YJ and drove across the border. Said I was getting gas in Blaine, Washington. Drove across the border all the way down to Los Angeles. Got outside the Highland Gardens Hotel and got my bags out of my Jeep, went inside, came back out — my Jeep was gone. Already, like ‘Welcome to Los Angeles.’”

Reflecting on his decades-long career in an interview with Postmedia last fall, Reynolds said he learned early on “that you don’t have to screw people over to get ahead.”

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“You can operate with a modicum of integrity and still do really well,” Reynolds said. “When I find that I’m at odds with somebody, if I avoid trying to win, and instead seek to learn something from them, it doesn’t mean that I have to agree with them, but it creates a nice foundation for conflict resolution and allows everybody to kind of win.”

Reynolds will be honoured by the Canadian Screen Awards in April for his humanitarian work.

“Receiving this honour is incredibly meaningful and deeply moving,” Reynolds said in a statement.

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