Matthew Lawrence Recalls Tension with Young Ryan Reynolds on ‘Boltneck’ Set

LOS ANGELES, CA — In a recent episode of his podcast, actor Matthew Lawrence reflected on his experience working with Ryan Reynolds on the 1998 film “Boltneck,” describing the young Reynolds as a difficult presence on set due to creative disputes with producers.

Lawrence, 45, recounted that Reynolds, now 48, was often at odds with the film’s team, recalling a specific incident where producers expressed frustration over Reynolds’ choice to imitate Jim Carrey instead of delivering an original performance. “He’d walk out — just kind of wanted to do his thing and the producers would get really upset,” Lawrence said. The actor claimed the producers told Reynolds, “Ryan, this is a bad Jim Carrey impersonation. This is not what we hired you to do.”

As Lawrence described, the tension escalated after Reynolds pushed back against the producers’ criticisms. “He got upset at that, saying, ‘I’m doing my thing,’” said Lawrence, who portrayed Frank Stein, a science nerd in the film, which aimed to mimic the tone of cult classic “Donnie Darko.”

Lawrence reminisced that the producers had high hopes for Reynolds’s career, especially given their own accolades, stating, “We had so much hope for this guy. He’s going nowhere.” Yet Lawrence humorously acknowledged Reynolds’ eventual rise to fame, commenting on how unpredictable the entertainment industry can be.

During their time on set under director Mitch Marcus, the film reportedly faced significant challenges due to Reynolds’s approach, causing friction with the crew. Lawrence noted, “This crew, I think, had just been nominated for an Oscar, so they were kind of a big deal at that moment.” He pointed out the discrepancy between the creative vision the producers wanted and Reynolds’ approach to the script.

Reynolds’s behavior was later brought into question when producers allegedly attributed the film’s lack of success to him. However, Lawrence defended Reynolds, stating, “I’m not even mad at Ryan in the sense that he honestly stayed true to who he truly is authentically.”

Recently, Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively have been in the headlines due to a legal dispute with actor and director Justin Baldoni over claims of harassment and creative control on the set of the upcoming film “It Ends With Us.” Baldoni has denied the accusations, asserting that Reynolds and Lively have attempted to undermine his authority on set. Lawrence’s reflections on Reynolds’s career challenges come amid this latest controversy.