Ryan Reynolds Produced a Documentary About John Candy, but Did They Know Each Other?

A new documentary about comedy legend John Candy is premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September. John Candy: I Like Me is something of a eulogy for the late icon, and it was created by some familiar faces. Colin Hanks directed the movie, and Ryan Reynolds serves as one of its executive producers.

John died of heart failure when he was just 43 years old in 1994, but left behind a remarkable legacy of comedy and kindness. Following the news that Ryan was producing the documentary, though, some wondered whether the two of them had any sort of relationship when John was alive. Here's what we know.

Although both John and Ryan are Canadian, John died long before the two of them ever got to meet or work together. Instead, John has existed as something for Ryan to aspire to throughout much of his professional career.

“I feel like in the bigger movies I’m always either Del Griffith or Neil Page, from Planes, Trains,” the actor told the AP. “I tend to really fluctuate back and forth between those guys."

Reynolds has even included easter eggs to John films throughout his own filmography, including the phrase "I like me" and a Chrysler LeBaron in the background of Deadpool.

“John was a good person when nobody was watching, and I think that’s an increasingly scarce resource these days, in an age where everything is not only seen, it’s perfection,” he said. “It’s like an epidemic. All we see is perfection and curation. Nobody wants to try anything new because nobody’s willing to suck at anything.”

Ryan is clearly a huge admirer of John and his work on screen, but it seems like the impact John made on the people around him was just as important.

Ryan also told Toronto Life that, because both he and John were born in Canada, it was important for the documentary to premiere in the country.

"John was distinctly Canadian. Like me, he was really proud of where he came from and understood that his Canadianness was an advantage in this business," he explained. "It gave him a kind of self-effacing humour where he didn’t take himself too seriously."

Ryan also said that he embraced the challenge of making an interesting documentary about a man who was fundamentally decent to everyone around him.

One of the things we kept hearing when reaching out to potential interview subjects was, 'That’s not going to be an interesting project. He’s unimpeachable,'" he explained. "This was a man who was an engine of joy, someone you can’t think about without smiling."

John and Ryan might not have had a personal relationship, but it's clear that Ryan would not be the person he is today if he hadn't loved John Candy growing up. Thankfully, Ryan wound up in a position to pay tribute to the comedian, whose life was cut tragically short.