Married or not, Ryan Reynolds has always had a thing for Betty White. However, in an interview with PEOPLE Magazine, the Golden Girls actor threw a playful quip his way. She joked that Reynolds hadn’t moved on from their past romance.
Ahead of the momentous occasion, the entertainment outlet published a lovely tribute to the actress to celebrate her 100th birthday. The exclusive included recounts from White’s peers Carol Burnett, Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, and Mary Steenburgen. They also included a few quotes from White on her long career and life.
What’s going on between Betty White and Ryan Reynolds?
Throwing it back to 2009, White and Reynolds starred in a romantic comedy together called The Proposal. The two have been close ever since, with Reynolds jokingly calling her his “ex-girlfriend.”
The Free Guy actor, married-with-children to Blake Lively, alluded to their long-lasting friendship via an Insta post back in 2019.
“I don’t usually post about ex-girlfriends. But Betty’s special. Happy Birthday to the one and only, @bettymwhite,” Reynolds captioned a photo of the two. He tagged the actor in his playful post.
White’s memory hasn’t failed her as she commented on their love escapades in her interview with PEOPLE. The 99-year-old actor said, “I’ve heard Ryan can’t get over his thing for me, but Robert Redford is The One.” The Deadpool star responded to White with a cheeky tweet of his own. He wrote, “I’m absolutely sick of the media exploiting past relationships just to drive clicks.”
Reynolds has always admired White
Sweet enough, Reynolds’ love for the American Sweetheart extends far beyond their time shared on set. In the same PEOPLE interview, he shared that he has admired her work “for as long as I could remember.”
He shared a fun tidbit with the outlet, “I heard that scripts for Golden Girls were only 35 pages, which makes sense because so many of the laughs come from Betty simply looking at her castmates.”
Reynolds wasn’t the only one with kind words to share about the beloved actor. Their The Proposal costar Sandra Bullock publicly expressed her well-wishes for the actor. She told PEOPLE that she hoped White celebrates her 100th birthday “the same way she has celebrated every day of her life with humor, kindness and a vodka on ice, toasting to the fact that she’s a badass who has left us all in the dust.”
Betty White turns 100 on January 17, 2022.