Ryan Reynolds has come under criticism after a scene from his 2005 film The Amityville Horror resurfaced, showing him improvising a slap to 15-year-old child actor Jesse James.
The unscripted moment occurred during a tense scene where Reynolds, playing a father possessed by an evil force, struck James, who appeared genuinely startled. The slap was not included in the script and was added by Reynolds to heighten the scene’s realism. In a 2005 interview with Radio Free, Reynolds acknowledged the moment was “disturbing” but shared that James found it “cool.” He also mentioned that the script supervisor was upset by the incident.
The clip has since gone viral on social media, sparking heated debates about on-set boundaries and the treatment of child actors in Hollywood. While some critics have condemned the improvisation as “inappropriate” and even likened it to “abuse,” others have defended Reynolds, arguing that the decision added emotional weight to the performance.
This controversy comes at a time when Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, is involved in a high-profile $400 million defamation lawsuit related to her It Ends With Us director, Justin Baldoni. Reynolds has not yet addressed the backlash surrounding the resurfaced clip.
As discussions about ethical filmmaking and creative liberties intensify, this incident serves as a reminder of the growing scrutiny placed on the entertainment industry and its practices.
