Ryan Reynolds foregoes Blake Lively amid battle to reach A-list celebrity

Ryan Reynolds has shared an unexpectedly tense moment he experienced with wife Blake Lively during a particularly stressful phase of the production while he was promoting his latest project, John Candy: I Like Me.

The actor and producer, 48, is currently touring to promote the film, which is directed by Colin Hanks, son of acting legend Tom Hanks.

As Reynolds explained to a packed audience, the process of pulling the film together wasn’t without its challenges—particularly when it came to enlisting Hollywood icon Bill Murray.

"Hey Bill, Ryan Reynolds here," Reynolds said, recalling how he first reached out. "I'm making a documentary about John Candy. I'm just hoping I could pick your brain. I'll come to you; I'll do whatever it takes."

That initial message was just the beginning. According to Reynolds, the Ghostbusters star proved notoriously hard to get in touch with, leaving him in a state of limbo.

"I had to leave around 40 messages," Reynolds admitted. Despite his efforts, Murray remained elusive. "My voice note sounded like a Greek shipping company," he joked, drawing laughter from the crowd.

The emotional toll of the situation even bled into his personal life, culminating in a now-infamous moment between him and Lively.

"Funny, I'm on my way to some gala thing," he shared. "And I rarely go to a fancy tuxedo [event]. I'm there with my wife, and we're about to walk in, and my phone buzzes. I look at it. It says Bill Murray, and I go, 'Bill Murray!'"

But the timing couldn’t have been worse. "She [Lively] goes, 'We have to go in!' I'm like, 'F**k you!'" Reynolds said, drawing more laughter from the audience with his candid confession.

Despite the tension—and the 40 unanswered messages—Reynolds didn’t give up. Eventually, he decided to record a heartfelt video from his apartment, enlisting the help of his children.