Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson are undoubtedly two of the most popular actors in the world today.
Reynolds’ first acting gig came in the 1991 television series Fifteen and he became a mainstream star ten years later in 2001’s Van Wilder: Party Liaison.
Johansson, meanwhile, got her start at the age of nine when she appeared in Rob Reiner’s North alongside Elijah Wood. Since then, she has slowly risen the Hollywood ranks on her way to becoming a certified A-lister.
The two are starring in two of the biggest movies of the year, with Johansson appearing as Natasha Romanoff (aka Black Widow) in Avengers: Infinity War and Reynolds reprising his role as the Merc with the Mouth in Deadpool 2.
With Hollywood couples seemingly changing as often as the seasons, it’s easy to forget that Reynolds and Johansson were once an item, and were even married just a decade ago.
They met, fell in love, got engaged, got married, got divorced, and moved on to new relationships in the span of just a few years.
In the seven years since the couple divorced, a bunch of interesting tidbits regarding their relationship have come to light.
Here are 20 Crazy Secrets About Ryan Reynolds And Scarlett Johansson’s Brief Marriage.
20. Their age difference
On average, people tend to date other people around their own age. In fact, according to a Current Population Survey conducted in 2014 based on information provided by 31,075 male-female couples, the average age difference between heterosexual couples in the U.S. is 2.3 years (with the man older than the woman).
However, Hollywood is anything but average. Harrison Ford is 22 years older than Calista Flockhart and they’ve been married since 2010. Eva Mendes is seven years older than Ryan Gosling and they’re also doing just fine.
Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson fit in more with the Hollywood norm than the U.S. average, since the two of them are eight years apart.
Johansson was just 24 when the couple started dating, while Reynolds was 32. (Reynolds and his current wife Blake Lively are 11 years apart.)
19. he was previously engaged to alanis Morissette
Ryan Reynolds has had quite a few high-profile relationships over the course of his career.
Some of these allegedly include Sabrina the Teenage Witch co-star Melissa Joan Hart, Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place co-star Traylor Howard, and a brief fling with She’s All That star Rachael Leigh Cook in 2001.
Prior to meeting Johansson, Reynold’s longest relationship by far was with singer Alanis Morissette, whom he began dating in 2002 (after they met at Drew Barrymore’s birthday party).
The two were engaged in 2004, but ultimately went their separate ways in February 2007.
Morissette has since revealed that her 2008 album Flavors of Entanglement was written while she was dealing with the grief of the breakup and that the song Torch was written about Reynolds specifically.
18. she previously dated josh hartnett
Like Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson has had her fair share of Hollywood romance. Some of Johansson’s alleged relationships include a brief fling with Jude Law in 2003, a few dates with Jared Leto around 2004, and a short-lived romance with Sean Penn in 2011.
Her highest-profile relationship before marrying Reynolds was with fellow actor Josh Hartnett, whom she met on the set of the movie The Black Dahlia.
The two dated for just over a year before splitting in 2006 as a result of their busy schedules.
With regard to the breakup Hartnett, told The Daily Mirror back in 2007, “It was difficult spending so much time apart with all our different commitments and both of us flying all over the world.”
This wouldn’t be the first time a busy schedule would doom one of Johansson’s relationships, though.
17. they started dating shortly after his recent breakup
The amount of time it takes to get over a past relationship is different for everyone. For some, it takes just a few days to forget the past and begin dating again. For others, it can take years before they build up the courage to open up their heart to someone new.
Considering his track record, it’s safe to say Ryan Reynolds is the former.
The actor ended his engagement to Alanis Morissette in February 2007, and was then spotted canoodling with Scarlett Johansson in New York City just two months later.
People deal with grief in different ways so it’s unfair to judge Reynolds for jumping into a relationship with Johansson right after ending his previous engagement, but taking just two months to cope with the end of a two-year relationship seems a bit short-sighted.
16. they were quick to get engaged
Nowadays, approximately 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Given that statistic (and the fact that divorces can be both costly and a real pain in the neck), it makes sense to date a person for a few years before proposing marriage.
It’s in your best interest to make sure you really want to be together for the rest of your life before taking vows to do just that.
Ryan Reynolds wasted little time before proposing to Scarlett Johansson, popping the big question just a year after they began dating (coincidentally, around the same time he was filming The Proposal).
Johansson would later tell Harper’s Bazaar that she “wasn’t surprised” by the proposal but was thrilled nonetheless. “Anyone being presented with a diamond ring, you just squeal with delight.”
15. they received hugh jackman’s blessing to marry
Scarlett Johansson and Hugh Jackman struck up a friendship in 2006 after the two starred opposite each other in Woody Allen’s Scoop and Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige (released in July and October, respectively).
Jackman (16 years older than Johansson) became protective of the budding star.
When news leaked that Johansson was engaged to Reynolds, Jackman threw his support at the young couple.
While promoting his movie Deception in 2009, Jackman told Entertainment Tonight Canada, “Both my wife Deborra-Lee Furness and I are very proprietary about Scarlett, but Ryan gets a big thumbs up from me! I’m giving my blessing – Ryan is phenomenal."
Johansson probably would have married Reynolds with or without Jackman’s blessing, but it’s probably best for Reynolds that Wolverine was on board.
14. they had a very short engagement
It’s clear that Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson moved somewhat fast in their relationship. Heck, he went from being engaged to Alanis Morissette to proposing to Scarlett Johansson in just fifteen months.
After the engagement, the couple continued their quick journey to the alter, officially tying the knot just four months later.
Considering the short engagement, it should come as no surprise that the two opted for a small ceremony as opposed to a lavish one.
Reynolds and Johansson officially became an item in front of a small group of family and friends at a remote wilderness retreat in Canada just outside of Vancouver (Reynolds’ childhood hometown).
Johansson described the ceremony on the Late Show with David Letterman saying, “there were bears and whales and eagles… it was like Avatar.”
13. she released an album while they were together
To many of her fans around the world, Scarlett Johansson is known only as an actress. This should come as no surprise, since she has more than 60 movies to her credit in an illustrious career that has spanned 24 years, but it’s not the whole truth.
She is also an accomplished singer who released her own studio album in 2008.
Johansson recorded the album Anywhere I Lay My Head in the spring of 2007, shortly after she began dating Reynolds. It contained eleven tracks and was released on May 16th by Atco Records.
Anywhere I Lay My Head peaked at number 126 on the Billboard 200 and sold around 25,000 copies worldwide. She then collaborated with singer-songwriter Pete Yorn on the 2009 album Break Up and released her third album Apart this year.
12. both were cast as superheroes around the same time
We are living in the Golden Age for superhero movies. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most financially successful movie franchise of all-time, the Deadpool franchise is off to a great start and seems bound to continue for years to come, and the DC Universe… well, two out of three isn’t bad.
Actors across the world are clamoring for spots in superhero franchises because not only do they perform exceptionally well at the box office (for the most part), but they also offer a job security unlike any other role in the business today.
A successful superhero franchise will give an actor a steady job for years to come.
Reynolds was cast as Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool) in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine (which was awful but set the stage for 2016’s Deadpool), and Johansson appeared as Black Widow in 2010’s Iron Man 2.
11. she appeared on snl when he was the host
When actors reach a certain level of celebrity status, it’s only a matter of time before they’re asked to host Saturday Night Live.
In this area, there is no competition between Reynolds and Johansson, since the latter has hosted the show five times (with another three surprise cameos,) while the former has hosted just once.
Johansson first hosted the sketch show in 2006 and then returned as host in 2007, 2010, 2015, and 2017. Reynolds, meanwhile, hosted in 2009 in an episode that featured a cameo from his then-wife.
Johansson appeared in a sketch called “Porcelain Fountains”, and then stood by her beau on stage at the show’s end.
Unfortunately, Reynolds wasn’t able to return the favor when Johansson hosted in November 2010 since the couple was already on the outs and was set to separate the following month.
10. they bought an expensive home together
It should come as a surprise to precisely no one that A-list actors are extraordinarily well-compensated for the work that they do.
We’re living in a time when movies take tens of millions (and sometimes hundreds of millions) of dollars to produce and earn hundreds of millions (and sometimes a billion) at the box office.
With such large sums of money on the line, producers want bankable stars who will boost ticket sales as much as possible.
For the better part of the last decade, Reynolds and Johansson have been such stars, and have reaped the financial benefits as well. '
Back in 2010, Johansson sold her Hollywood Hills villa and she and Reynolds bought a $2.9 million home in Los Angeles.
The couple would sell their home for $3.65 million in 2012 shortly after their divorce.
9. their busy schedules put a strain on the relationship
In addition to being one of the highest-paid professions in the world, acting also happens to be one of the busiest jobs.
The amount of work that goes into filming a movie is staggering for everyone involved and often includes shooting for twelve hours a day (at least) for months on end.
When you throw in the fact that movies are often shot on-location (i.e. far from your significant other), you get a recipe for relationship disaster.
Ryan Reynolds shot three movies in 2008 and four in 2009. Scarlett Johansson, meanwhile, shot four in this time frame and also appeared in A View from the Bridge on Broadway.
Johansson later admitted that her and Reynolds’ busy schedules put a strain on the relationship.
After the divorce, Johansson told Cosmopolitan Magazine, “Both of us were extremely busy. We spent so much time apart. It’s very difficult. It’s bad.”
8. they won prestigious titles in the same year
People’s most attractive wan alive has been a staple of the magazine for the last thirty-three years. Mel Gibson was the first honoree back in 1985 and Blake Shelton won the title in 2017.
Other recipients include Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, and Bradley Cooper. Richard Gere, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Johnny Depp, meanwhile, hold the distinct honor of being two-time winners.
Ryan Reynolds added his name to the list back in November 2010. Not to be outdone by her beau, Scarlett Johansson was named GQ’s inaugural Babe of the Year just one month later.
Johansson was also named the most attractive woman alive by Esquire Magazine in 2006, following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie and Jessica Biel. Johansson would go on to earn the title again in 2013, becoming the first woman to do so.
7. professional competition may have doomed the relationship
It’s safe to say that the entertainment industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world. When actors aren’t filming movies, they are auditioning for other ones.
Sometimes those auditions are successful, but most of the time they are not. Thus, in order for actors to be successful, they sometimes need to be ruthless.
Given the level of celebrity and success attained by Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson, it’s safe to assume both are highly competitive.
Unfortunately, their competitive natures may have doomed their relationship.
In her 2016 interview with Cosmopolitan Johansson said, “The logistics of being with another actor are challenging. There has to be a real understanding of how you share your time, especially when two people’s careers are going at the same rate. Or even if one person is more successful than the other, that also proves challenging. There may be a competitive thing."
6. his slow career may have led to the divorce
It’s only natural for a person’s career to influence his or her personal life. When things are going well, the relationship can blossom. When things go bad, the relationship can suffer.
According to Scarlett Johansson, her marriage to Ryan Reynolds was no exception.
In a 2015 interview with Parade Magazine Johansson said, “Acting is a very strange world to be co-existing in. It’s very volatile. There’s always going to be the more successful person…I t’s related to rejection. Because actors, if they’re not having success, connect it directly to unpopularity—to the fact that nobody wants them.”
Given where the two were in their careers at the time of their divorce, Johansson’s words on success seem to ring true.
She had just joined the MCU and was contracted to appear in The Avengers. He, meanwhile, had completed the poorly-received X-Men Origins: Wolverine the previous year and was struggling to develop what would eventually become 2016’s Deadpool.
5. they filed for divorce at the same time
The entertainment industry has countless tales of once-happy marriages that run off the rails and end in nasty divorces.
Those divorces that aren’t amicable can take years to finalize, as both parties determine how to split the assets acquired during the marriage (unless there’s a prenuptial agreement, of course).
In this regard, Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson’s divorce proved to be a rather amicable one, given the time frame with which the two of them signed the divorce papers.
Tumultuous divorces will usually see one party initiate the process and the other responds days, weeks, or months later.
In this case, Reynolds filed for divorce on December 22, 2010, and Johansson signed that next day.
Neither party filed for spousal support, further indicating a carefully executed and amicable breakup.
4. he said he would never marry again
Getting divorced isn’t easy. Even an amicable breakup like Reynolds and Johansson’s has all sorts of headaches that come with selling properties and otherwise dividing assets.
They’re emotionally taxing as well, as Reynolds described in a May 2011 interview with Details Magazine.
On the topic of his divorce, Reynolds told the magazine: “Anyone who gets divorced goes through a lot of pain, but you come out of it. I’m not out of it yet. At all. But I sense that as I do come through it, there’s optimism.”
When asked if he saw himself once again tying the knot in the future Reynolds was blunt. “I don’t think I want to get married again,” he said. “But you always re-evaluate these things.”
Considering that he would marry Blake Lively just two years later, it’s safe to say he re-evaluated things.
3. she has no regrets about the marriage
Everyone responds differently to breakups. Based on his comments in Details Magazine, it’s clear Ryan Reynolds was still struggling with his divorce five months after initiating it.
Based on Johansson’s comments in Cosmopolitan Magazine’s January 2012 issue, it’s safe to say the actress had dealt with her grief in the year following her divorce.
Johanson told the magazine that her marriage to Reynolds was “the best thing I ever did,” adding that she learned a great deal about herself and what it takes to make a marriage work.
“I think I was not fully aware of the peaks and valleys. I wasn’t prepared to hunker down and do the work,” she said.
Johansson walked down the aisle once more in 2014 when she married Romain Dauriac. Johansson gave birth to their daughter that same year. Unfortunately, the two divorced in 2017.
2. he met his future wife while he was still married to johansson
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively began dating in late 2011. They married in September 2012 and had their first daughter James in 2014 and their second daughter Ines in 2016. Their story actually begins long before they started dating.
In fact, the two grew close while Reynolds was still married to Johansson.
Reynolds and Lively first met after they were cast opposite each other in 2011’s Green Lantern.
The DC superhero movie was shot in spring 2010 in New Orleans, the same time that Johansson was starring in A View From the Bridge on Broadway in New York City.
The time frame doesn’t necessarily mean that Reynolds and Lively engaged in extramarital relations while Johansson was in another part of the country, but the fact remains that Reynolds grew close to his second wife while he was still married to his first.
1. crossing paths in the mcu is a possibility
Having an ex in Hollywood can be tricky, since you never really know when the two of you will cross paths. You can do everything you can to avoid your ex-spouse, then get cast in the same movie and end up on set together for months on end.
Luckily, A-listers like Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson have the luxury of rejecting roles opposite each other if they so choose. However, this may not always be the case.
Prior to last year, the odds of Reynolds’ Deadpool and Johansson’s Black Widow crossing paths on-screen were non-existent due to the fact that the former was the property of 20th Century Fox and the latter belongs to Disney.
That all changed when Disney bought Fox and a boatload of properties with it.
It’s doubtful that Marvel Studios will put the R-rated Deadpool in the MCU, but not impossible, which means the famous couple could share the screen together eventually.
Do you miss the famous couple? Do you know any other interesting tidbits about their relationship? Let us know in the comments!
