Ryan Reynolds stopped by The Late Show via video chat to speak with Stephen Colbert about the COVID-19 pandemic, his efforts to raise funds for coronavirus relief and why it’s essential for people and companies to give back.
During the lengthy chat, Reynolds discussed being the only man quarantined in his house alongside his wife, Blake Lively, his mother-in-law and his three daughters. “Men tend to be the architect of someone’s demise,” the actor said. “So it’s fine. I like just being here with the girls. I like doing the girl stuff.” He added, “This morning I made dresses out of tissue paper for them.”
He also discussed his gin company, Aviation Gin, and how the company is raising funds for charity during the current crisis. The gin is also giving back to bartenders who are out of work right now. “I’m not really in the business of telling people what to do, but I do think it’s incumbent upon those who can give back to do so, particularly in a time like this,” Reynolds said. “People are struggling to do pay rent, they’re struggling to buy food. And food, I think, is a national security issue. And pretty much treating people in this country with dignity and respect, that’s part of the integrity of democracy.”
The actor explained how he and Lively made a donation of $1 million to food banks in the U.S. and Canada, and how Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile helping where they can as well. “I think most companies if they can need to be doing something,” he noted. “They need to be giving back in some way.”
Reynolds even got personal, telling Colbert how pneumonia killed his father. “Pneumonia is very serious,” he said. “It can take out the toughest of us. It certainly got my dad. So coronavirus is a serious thing.” He then urged people, including younger people, to take it seriously and stay home. “We gotta do all we can,” he added.
In addition, the actor offered his opinion of Colbert’s at-home show set-up and the late night hosts fashion choices in quarantine.
