Ryan Reynolds said a phone ringtone interrupted a dying scene and prompted an angry outburst from Denzel Washington while the two were filming the 2012 action thriller Safe House.
Reynolds related the incident Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival while promoting the documentary he produced, John Candy: I Like Me. He said the disturbance occurred during the final scene, when Washington’s character was wounded and dying.
"Who the f---’s phone is that?" Washington yelled, Reynolds recalled, describing a moment when tears were falling down Washington’s face and Frank Sinatra’s "Come Fly With Me" began to play. Reynolds said the Sinatra song had been his ringtone at the time.
Reynolds told the story as a mix of embarrassment and humor. He said take one of the scene had been halted by a technical problem and on take two the ringtone sounded. When Washington demanded to know whose phone it was, Reynolds said he played dumb and gestured toward other people on set, saying, "Who the f---’s phone is that? Inexcusable!"
The actor said an assistant director asked Washington to do another take and Washington replied, "We’re going to have to, aren’t we?" Reynolds said he agreed, citing the stunt performers involved. A representative for Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Safe House, released in 2012, cast Washington as Tobin Frost, a former CIA operative, opposite Reynolds’ character. Reynolds’ anecdote underscores the sometimes tense, concentrated atmosphere on action-film sets, where technical resets and attention to detail are routine and interruptions can affect performances.
Washington has been vocal in other public encounters. Last year, video obtained by Fox News Digital appeared to show the Academy Award-winning actor confronting fans outside New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, where he had been attending a film benefit honoring Samuel L. Jackson. In the clip, Washington tells those seeking autographs and photographs, "Put this down. I heard you. You talk about showing love… respect me." When a fan said, "We always do," Washington said, "I said, ‘I’ll see you when I get out. Which part of that don't ya'll understand?'"
The Toronto appearance was part of Reynolds’ promotion of the John Candy documentary, which he produced. While recounting the Safe House episode, Reynolds framed the story as a mistake he regretted but that also illustrated how quickly a single distraction can disrupt a dramatic moment during filming.
Reynolds and Washington have each had long careers in film, and their brief on-set confrontation remains a small footnote amid decades of work. The anecdote drew attention at TIFF for its candidness and for the contrast between the solemnity of the scene Reynolds described and the ordinary intrusion of a ringing phone.
Reynolds’ telling did not indicate lasting strife between the actors. He recited the episode as an example of an "inexcusable" disruption and a humbling moment for himself. Further comment from representatives for either actor was not available at the time of publication.