Matthew Lawrence Says Ryan Reynolds Has Matured in Years Since the Star 'Really Upset' Producers of Their 1998 MovieBoltneck

Mar. 15, 2025

Ryan Reynolds and Matthew Lawrence in 1998’s ‘Boltneck’.Photo:Regent Entertainment

Regent Entertainment

Matthew Lawrencelooked back back at one of his less famous roles — and his time working withRyan Reynolds— on the Feb. 21 episode ofBrotherly Love Podcast.

In the episode, Matthew, 45, and his brothers Joey and Andrew discussedthe ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. But Matthew also remembered that he once worked with Reynolds, 48.

“Ryan’s amazing,” Andy, 37 said, before noting that Matthew had worked on a movie with him. “He was a total schlub then,” he added.

Matthew Lawrence in 1998’s ‘Boltneck’.Regent Entertainment

“I’m like a science, weird nerd,” Matthew explained. “And Ryan Reynolds is my Frankenstein.” The movie itself, Matthew said, “missed the mark,” but, “it was a really interesting movie. Great script.”

“The funny part about it is that the production team was having a really hard time with Ryan,” Matthew said. “And this is young Ryan.”Boltneckwas Reynolds’ fifth-ever movie.

“You can’t impersonate someone, you gotta do your own thing,” Matthew remembered them saying. “And he got upset at that, and he was like, ‘I’m doing my thing.’ ” Matthew said he even remembered being in a meeting where the producers and director said of Reynolds, “He’s going nowhere!”

Matthew Lawrence in 2024, Ryan Reynolds in 2025.Gerardo Mora/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Gerardo Mora/Getty; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Matthew laughed at how wrong they were. “You never know in Hollywood, folks,” he said. He added that the producers were trying to make a “ ‘90s grunge, off-beat movie” but Reynolds perhaps wasn’t the right person for the job.

“I’m not even mad at Ryan in the sense that he actually stayed true to who he truly is authentically, because honestly, he was trying toDeadpoolit,” Matthew said, in reference to Reynolds’ successful character and franchise.

“He’s obviously matured as a human being, but he was doing the same thing,” Matthew said. “That’s always been his schtick, his thing.”

Reynolds actually mentionedBoltneck, which was released straight to video, in a 2018 ad forDeadpool 2, having the character call it “a masterpiece.” The movie is streaming for free onTubi.

source: people.com