Sandie Rinaldo sits down with the brains behind the new John Candy documentary, Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s fitting that the Toronto International Film Festival is marking its 50th milestone with a candid look at the life of a Canadian comedic icon. <\/p>\n
The opening film, \u201cJohn Candy: I Like Me\u201d, is a revealing documentary that delves not just into the legendary actor\u2019s public accolades, but also his private struggles. One thing is clear throughout the film \u2013 he is universally beloved and for good reason.<\/p>\n
I experienced it first-hand back in 1993 when I interviewed him on the set of the only film he ever directed, \u201cHostage for a Day\u201d. I was immediately struck by how real, funny, warm and self-effacing he was, and I couldn\u2019t stop laughing. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s something Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds heard often as he produced the documentary. I had the chance to sit down with him today, along with director Colin Hanks, whose famous father Tom is also featured in the film. <\/p>\n
For both, it was clearly a passion project. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe brought people together in really interesting ways,\u201d says Reynolds. \u201cHe brought my own family together in interesting ways. When we would see a John Candy movie, we\u2019d all be sitting together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I remember about John and meeting him as a kid was the way he made you feel,\u201d adds Hanks. \u201cThat seemed worth celebrating. The more and more people we talked to, the more and more I realized that John made everyone feel that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
That comes as no surprise to John Candy\u2019s children, Chris Candy and Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, who were also involved in the film. Having lost their father while they were still very young, it also meant learning more about his vulnerabilities and personal demons, including the pressures of Hollywood fame.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was human,\u201d says Chris Candy. \u201cHe had the full capacity of having the good parts of life and then the challenging parts of life. I felt closer to him as I watched it because it was relatable.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cDealing with the business and how rough people can be on people,\u201d adds Candy-Sullivan. \u201cBut just coming out with kindness.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/I5P5MV5JTRF2FEFX2LCNEOQKK4.jpg\")
Sandie Rinaldo and Candy children CTV News National Anchor Sandie Rinaldo (left) sits down with Chris Candy and Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, the children of Canadian film legend John Candy, ahead of their interview in Toronto, Ont., on Sept. 4, 2025. (CTV News) <\/p>\n
Kindness \u2013 a trait that\u2019s highlighted throughout the documentary and that Ryan Reynolds believes Canada can take some credit for. <\/p>\n
\u201cI would attribute so much of my career to it, and I think John did as well,\u201d he says. \u201cJohn learned laughing at yourself, that\u2019s the target. You don\u2019t punch down, you don\u2019t kick or hurt other people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about how he thinks John Candy might have felt about the current tensions between Canada and the United States, Reynolds reflects on their shared ties to both countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cJohn was very good at bringing people together. John would have looked at it from a solution-oriented place,\u201d he says. \u201cYeah, there are some tensions. Do I think the United States is gonna annex Canada? No, I don\u2019t believe that. It\u2019s unreasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI love my country, I consider Canada my third parent,\u201d Reynolds adds. \u201cI consider my values to have come from growing up in this great nation. I\u2019m grateful that I got to grow up in this incredible country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the true north, strong and free!\u201d pipes in Colin Hanks. \u201cIn the true north, strong and free,\u201d Reynolds nods.<\/p>\n
A pride shared by the Canadian comedic giant whose legacy they\u2019re now shining a new light on. <\/p>\n
John Candy may have famously said, \u201cI like me\u201d. But there\u2019s no question he was loved by many.<\/p>\n
With files from CTV News\u2019 Kristen Yu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sandie Rinaldo sits down with the brains behind the new John Candy documentary, Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[712,49,48,361,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-121405","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-apple-news","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-celebrities","12":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}