Quick summary
- Ryan Reynolds joked on Instagram on 10 November that he lived on ketchup alone to prepare for his Detective Pikachu role.
- He shared a clip of himself singing the Pokémon theme song from the 2019 film and called it his “most emotional performance to date”.
- The ketchup line is a gag about Pikachu’s fondness for the condiment, not a real diet.
- E! News noted that Reynolds has genuinely changed how he eats for roles, including Blade: Trinity and Deadpool.
Ryan Reynolds has made a joke about his Detective Pikachu preparation that fans are unlikely to take literally. In an Instagram post dated 10 November, the actor said he “sheltered myself from the outside world on a diet of ketchup alone”, according to E! News.
The Ryan Reynolds Detective Pikachu post
The post paired the caption with a clip from the 2019 film in which Reynolds sings the Pokémon theme song. He wrote that he “prepped for months” for what he called his “most emotional performance to date”, and that it was all worth it for that one moment.
The ketchup reference plays on the film’s running joke that Pikachu loves the condiment. E! described the post as a quip about his acting methods. Nothing in the report suggests he actually restricted his diet for the part.
The real diets behind his bigger roles
The joke lands because Reynolds does have a record of changing how he eats for work. E! points to comments he made to Fighters Only in 2019, when he said that for a role “the diet aspect becomes a job” and the same goes for training.
For 2009’s Blade: Trinity, he said he ate 3,200 calories a day to support his training. He described training six days a week for three to four months beforehand and gaining 25lb of muscle while keeping his body fat low. He added that his training today is “more functional and less aesthetic”.
Deadpool required a different look. For a lean but muscular build, Reynolds listed eggs, tuna wraps, chicken and salad dishes, avocado and almond butter among his staples, plus brown rice, protein bars, whey-and-water shakes, almonds, apple and broiled fish. He said he aims for roughly six meals a day. He also made the point that every role calls for a different physique.
If Deadpool is your favourite of his roles, we have also covered the studio note that became a billion-dollar lesson.
Family and the wider context
E! also notes that the 50-year-old shares four children with his wife, Blake Lively. That detail is background only; the post itself was a light, self-mocking bit of promotion for an older film rather than an announcement of any new project.
Reynolds is well known for this style of social media humour, and our Ryan Reynolds archive collects more of his recent stories, including a look at a Deadpool 2 prank video. Browse more in our Celebrities section.
What happens next
The sources do not mention any new Pikachu project or sequel tied to the post. At this stage it reads as a throwaway joke, and any news about a follow-up would need to come from the studio or Reynolds himself.
Frequently asked questions
Did Ryan Reynolds really eat only ketchup for Detective Pikachu?
No. E! News reports the claim was a joke posted on Instagram on 10 November, playing on Pikachu’s love of ketchup.
What did Ryan Reynolds eat for Deadpool?
By his own account to Fighters Only, he ate foods such as eggs, tuna wraps, chicken, salad, avocado, almond butter, brown rice and broiled fish, around six meals a day.
How much did Ryan Reynolds eat for Blade: Trinity?
He said he ate 3,200 calories daily while training six days a week, and gained 25lb of muscle.
