TORONTO — Ryan Reynolds says mounting tensions between Canada and the U.S. haven’t changed anything for him as a Canuck in Hollywood.

The “Deadpool” star preached unity during an onstage conversation at the Toronto International Film Festival, when chief programming officer Anita Lee asked him what it was like being a Canadian in Los Angeles during this “elbows up” era of increased nationalism.

In a nearly five-minute answer to the question, Reynolds said he’s always held Canadian values, including conflict resolution, and he seeks “to learn, rather than win.”

Reynolds is at TIFF to promote the new documentary “John Candy: I Like Me,” which he produced.

He says his approach allows him to have collaborative — not combative — conversations with people whose views differ from his own.

The Vancouver-born actor-producer-entrepreneur says he doesn’t have to agree with someone to work with them, and he doesn’t like the “us vs. them” mentality of identity politics.

“Sitting on set in America and working with somebody who’s MAGA — I’m not MAGA; I’m not extreme anything, but certainly not that way — and I say, ‘Hey, let’s swap phones for a second. Let’s see your algorithm. Check out mine,’” he recalled.

“It’s cool. Like you would be blown away. I remember looking at it and going to this guy, I was like, ‘oh that’s compelling. And I kind of get yeah I see what you mean.’ And he looked at mine and he said, ‘It’s fine.’”

Reynolds says he thinks sports games and movie theatres are great venues for people with differing opinions to find common ground.

Reynolds’ documentary opened the festival on Thursday, and Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a speech before the screening, walking out to a standing ovation.

TIFF 2025 Ryan Reynolds (left), and his mother, Tammy Reynolds, are photographed on the red carpet for the film “John Candy: I Like Me” during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan (Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press) TIFF 2025 Director Colin Hanks attends the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) TIFF 2025 Eugene Levy attends the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) TIFF 2025 Ryan Reynolds attends the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) TIFF 2025 Chantelle Leonardo, left, and Shawn Desman arrive on the red carpet for the Hollywood North event at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Thursday, September 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor (Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press) TIFF 2025 Ben Foster attends the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 4, 2025. (Instagram/mrwillwong) TIFF 2025 Elle Fanning arrives for the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (Instagram/mrwillwong) TIFF 2025 Eugene Levy, left, and Ryan Reynolds attend the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) TIFF 2025 Producer Ryan Reynolds and Director Colin Hanks drive in a replica prop car from the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” prior to the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto on Thursday, September 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press) TIFF 2025 Eugene Levy, left, and Paul Shaffer attend the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) TIFF 2025 Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers remarks at the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto on Thursday, September 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press) TIFF 2025 Members of The Trews, John Angus MacDonald, left to right, with Jack Syperek and Colin MacDonald, arrive on the red carpet for the Hollywood North event at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Thursday, September 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor (Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press) TIFF 2025 Tyler Strickland attends the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) TIFF 2025 Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, from left, Chris Candy, and Rosemary Margaret Hobor attend the premiere of “John Candy: I Like Me” during the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

As she welcomed Reynolds to the stage on Friday, Lee quipped that there was a “Captain Canada competition” between Reynolds and Carney the previous night.

“It’s not a fair fight,” Reynolds quipped, “because one day he will no longer be prime minister.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2025.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press