Vancouver's favourite funnyman has been awarded for his kindness and generosity.
The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television unveiled its list of recipients for the 2023 Special Awards, and the Vancouver actor made the cut.
The achievement awards are bestowed upon individuals in Canada's screen-based industry who have made outstanding contributions to society as a whole. This year, nine Canadians received awards alongside Reynolds, including Lisa LaFlamme and Simu Liu.
The Vancouver-born celebrity was presented with the Humanitarian Award for his "dedication to philanthropy throughout his career with several generous donations to various charities," writes the Canadian Academy.
Reynolds' donations to a Canadian water charity supporting Indigenous young adults, efforts to support displaced families from Ukraine, contributions to a Vancouver food bank, and his annual "aesthetically challenged" sweater holiday campaign, featuring Seth Rogen this year, made the actor a worthy recipient of the award.
"Ryan has also made major contributions to the industry outside of his performances, as the co-founder of two different organizations aiming to offer underrepresented communities more access to creative careers: the Group Effort Initiative (GEI) and Creative Ladder," continues the Canadian Academy.
The Vancouver actor describes receiving the accolade as "incredibly meaningful and deeply moving."
"Particularly given the fact it's grounded in so many of the values I acquired from my home country of Canada. I'm grateful to the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for including me in this prestigious honour and I’m excited to accept the award in person this April,” he says.
The awards are presented during Canadian Screen Week, which takes place April 11-16 in Toronto.
Here is the full list of this year's award recipients:
- Academy Board of Directors' Tribute - Jennifer Podemski, Paul Pope
- Academy Icon Award - Catherine O'Hara
- Changemaker Award - Tracy Moore
- Earle Grey Award - Peter MacNeill
- Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism - Lisa LaFlamme
- Humanitarian Award - Ryan Reynolds
- Lifetime Achievement Award - Pierre Bruneau
- Radius Award - Simu Liu
