NBC and E! have announced that Ryan Reynolds will receive this year’s People’s Icon award at the People’s Choice Awards. The actor, producer and screenwriter will receive the evening’s biggest award, in addition to being nominated for “Male Movie Star” and “Comedy Movie Star” for his role in Netflix’s “The Adam Project.”
The awards show, hosted by Kenan Thompson, will air live on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on both NBC and E! Past recipients of “The People’s Icon” award include Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston and Melissa McCarthy.
“In any endeavor – whether it’s acting, producing, marketing or business – Ryan Reynolds has the unique ability to create joy and authentically connect with his audience,” SVP of Entertainment Live Events for NBC Universal Television and Streaming Cassandra Tryon said. “He’s received many accolades over the years, but it’s these innate qualities that makes him so beloved.” “We cannot wait to present Ryan with ‘The People’s Icon’ award at this year’s show.
Reynolds began his acting career in 1991 and first gained attention in the television sitcom “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place” which ran for four seasons starting in 1998. His breakout film role was “Van Wilder” in 2002, and he has since appeared in dozens of films, including “The Proposal,” “Definitely, Maybe,” “Mississippi Grind” and “Free Guy.”
Reynolds is also an award-winning marketer, creating breakthrough campaigns for “Deadpool” as well Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile and the Match Group. He is an owner of Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, Wrexham Football Club, Chief Creative Officer of MNTN, and a co-founder of Maximum Effort Productions. Fast Company, Wall Street Journal and AdWeek have all recognized Ryan as one of the most creative voices in business today.
Reynolds’ most recent theatrical effort, Shawn Levy’s “Free Guy,” was a surprise breakout hit in the summer of 2021, legging out to $331 million worldwide despite being an entirely original, live-action comic fantasy. They would reteam for “The Adam Project,” a well-received homage to 1980’s kid-friendly adventure fantasies which is currently Netflix’s fifth-most watched English-language film.
Reynolds currently has two films on the top five among Netflix’s most popular English-language films, including “Red Notice,” a big-budget action comedy co-starring Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot.
The three-time PCA award-winner was also nominated for a Golden Globe and Grammy award for his work on the billion-dollar “Deadpool” franchise. He can next be seen in the musical comedy “Spirited” opposite Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer, premiering November 18 on AppleTV+.
He is currently scheduled to reprise the role of Wade Wilson in an untitled third “Deadpool” film, with Hugh Jackman returning to the role of Logan/Wolverine for the 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios theatrical.
“People’s Choice Awards” and “Live from E!: The 2022 People’s Choice Awards” are both produced by Den of Thieves with Executive Producers Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski.
Voting for the 2022 “People’s Choice Awards” runs through Wednesday, November 9 at 11:59pm ET. Fans can either vote online at www.votepca.com or on Twitter. See the full list of all 40 categories and nominees here.