Ryan Reynolds said Friday that a ringing cellphone he carried once enraged Denzel Washington while they were filming the 2012 thriller Safe House, an episode Reynolds described as "inexcusable." Reynolds made the revelation during a discussion at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he is promoting the documentary he produced, John Candy: I Like Me.

Reynolds told the audience he was on set for the film's final scene when his phone — which he said had a Frank Sinatra ringtone — began playing "Come Fly With Me" as Washington's character lay wounded and dying. "Who the f—'s phone is that?" Washington reportedly yelled, Reynolds recounted. "He’s been shot, wounded, dying, admits all the stuff that he did wrong. Tears start rolling down his face. And suddenly you hear — and this is take two, by the way, because take one there was a technical problem — we hear [Frank Sinatra singing] 'Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away.'"

Reynolds said he attempted to deflect responsibility by "playing dumb," standing and looking around at the stunt crew before calling out, "Who the f—'s phone is that? Inexcusable!" He said the assistant director asked Washington if he could do another take and Washington responded, "We’re going to have to, aren’t we?" Reynolds said he agreed because the stunt performers needed a clean take.

A representative for Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reynolds did not identify whether the phone he described was his own at the time or belonged to someone else on set; he said only that the Sinatra ringtone had been active then.

Safe House, released in 2012, paired Reynolds and Washington in a high-stakes action thriller in which Washington's character is captured and later mortally wounded. Reynolds' anecdote drew attention because it involved an intimate, emotional moment in the film and because Washington has been known to react firmly when he perceives a lack of respect on set or in public.

Last year, Washington was recorded confronting a group of fans outside New York City's Museum of Modern Art, where he had paused to greet people while attending a film benefit honoring Samuel L. Jackson. In the video obtained by news outlets, Washington tells the group, "Put this down. I heard you. You talk about showing love… respect me." When a fan replied, "We always do," Washington said, "I said, 'I’ll see you when I get out.' Which part of that don’t ya'll understand?"

Reynolds' comments at TIFF came amid a publicity cycle for the Candy documentary, where he has appeared on panels and in interviews reflecting on comedy, the filmmaking process and his own experiences in ensemble sets. The Safe House anecdote underscored how small on-set disturbances can derail emotionally charged performances and the extra takes they can force on cast and crew.

Both actors have continued active careers since Safe House. Washington has remained a leading figure in dramatic cinema and public events, while Reynolds has balanced action roles with producing work and promotional appearances. The anecdote provides a rare, candid look at a memorable moment in a high-profile production and the tension that can surface when discipline and performance collide.