It turns out that Ryan Reynolds was hooking up with famous actresses long before he married Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively. At the ripe ol’ age of 20, an unknown Reynolds had a fling with Sabrina the Teenage Witch star Melissa Joan Hart. Not only was Joan Hart a semi-big deal at the time, while Reynolds was still a couple of years away from his big break, but she had a boyfriend at the time.
“He was very sweet. I had a boyfriend at the time but we were smitten and cute and he was adorable. He was a really, really nice guy, probably would have been a great boyfriend, and I didn’t end up with the other guy, so maybe I should have taken a chance,”
Well done, Mr. Reynolds.
It’s clear that he had a lasting effect on her. Here’s what she wrote in her 2013 memoir, Melissa Explains It All: Tales from My Abnormally Normal Life:
“Nobody looked as good with wavy blond locks and a thumb ring as Ryan did. Though I was madly in love with James, my boyfriend of six months by then, Ryan and I spent plenty of time together. Though Ryan was totally cute and charming, I couldn’t get past the fact that he always seemed to be channeling Jim Carrey’s oddball mannerisms and voices. Even so, he sure knew how to make a girl feel special.”
There’s also a story about Melissa jumping in front of Ryan’s car in order to make out with him.
Ryan Reynolds was already near the top of my “cool guys in Hollywood” list, but he may have pushed his way to number one. Sorry, Hugh Jackman. It’s been 20 years and Melissa Joan Hart is still pining after Reynolds.
All men should hope to achieve the status of Ryan Reynolds in their lives.