Ryan Reynolds once saved his nephew's life and proved he's a real life superhero

He's more Captain America than Deadpool to be honest

ryan reynolds saved his nephew
(Image credit: Getty Images for Variety)

He's more Captain America than Deadpool to be honest

Words by Alexia Fernandez

From the editors of People

Ryan Reynolds is a real life superhero.

The dad of two posted a photo of himself Monday on Instagram after attending a CPR course, revealing that he once saved his nephew’s life because of the knowledge he gained.

'Years ago, I took a CPR course thru the Red Cross,' he wrote in the caption. 'And holy s—, I ended up saving my nephew’s life because I knew what to do! True story!'

'Yesterday I took a refresher course — focusing on infant and toddler CPR,' he continued. 'It takes only a few hours and it’s also kinda, sorta fun. Thank you to Dan from Viva First Aid for the lesson. And thank you to these two helpful yet lifeless dolls whose vacant ocular cavities will haunt me until end times.'

A photo posted by on

Reynolds, 40, has two daughters he shares with his wife and actress Blake Lively, 2-year-old daughter James and a 9-month-old daughter.

The Shallows actress, 29, posted a similar Instagram post on Monday, urging parents to take CPR courses, especially if they had small children.

'I can’t recommend this enough, I took a CPR class with a focus on babies and toddlers,' Lively wrote. 'Google ‘infant CPR class near me’ and you’ll see lots of listings.'

She added, 'For those of you who haven’t done it, you will love it. It’s so helpful by giving you knowledge, tools, and some peace of mind.'

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are often candid about parenthood — and all the ups and downs that come with it.

In an interview with Good Morning America earlier this year, Reynolds joked about trying to travel with his young daughters, admitting, 'I’ve always had empathy for parents, especially flying. I remember before I had kids, I was always like, ‘God, that’s hard.''

'Because you can see they’re sweating and they’re nervous because their kids are yelling and everyone’s mad at them,” said Reynolds, adding, “I’m the same way.'

Still, the actor has said he wouldn’t change a thing. He told eTalk last December, 'It’s the best thing. It’s the best thing that could ever happen to you.'

The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.