Ryan Reynolds received the Entertainer of the Year Award at the 2016 Critics’ Choice Awards in Santa Monica on Sunday, December 11.
After a video montage of his biggest films, the 40-year-old actor took the stage to accept the prestigious honor, presented by Entertainment Weekly. First, he thanked the team behind his latest blockbuster hit, Deadpool, which he started working on in February 2004.
“Deadpool was an 11-year odyssey for me to get up here, and it resonated with a lot of people,” Reynolds said. “The character had cancer and some of the people that this character resonated with were sick kids. I would like to dedicate this honor to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the SickKids Foundation of Toronto, two incredible organizations that do so much for so many kids in need.”
“I would also like to dedicate this award to the memory of my friends Connor McGrath and Grace Bowen,” the Woman in Gold actor continued. “They didn’t lose the battle, but they started a fight and it’s up to us to finish it.” (McGrath and Bowen were two young children who died of cancer.)
At the end of Reynolds’ speech, he thanked his wife, Blake Lively, and their two daughters. “I also want to thank my wife and, for no reason at all, I suppose my children,” he quipped.
Later in the evening, the Hollywood hunk accepted the Best Actor in a Comedy Award for his role in Deadpool. The superhero film also took home the Best Comedy Award.
The 2016 Critics’ Choice Awards air on A&E Sunday, December 11, at 8 p.m. ET.
