Ryan Reynolds on His Rebellious Earring & Why He's Thankful For His Brothers

Ryan Reynolds recently took to Time to share a story of a time his brothers came to his rescue in an amazing way as he reflects on what he’s thankful for this holiday season.

“Actions speak louder than words,” the 38-year-old actor said starting his story. “And for one particular memory I have, the action was deafening. I’m the youngest of four brothers. Being the youngest, I often felt less like a little brother and more like a moving target.”

Click inside to read the rest of the letter…

Ryan continued, saying: “Growing up, all four of us were at war under our roof. Alliances were forged and broken daily. As the smallest and youngest, they reserved their most unique and unblinking brand of torture for me. But on occasion, they also unwittingly taught me about rising to the occasion. And for this, I’m grateful. Doing the right thing at the right time speaks volumes about one’s character. Especially when it’s wholly unexpected. As is so often the case with young boys, acts of kindness were like Blue Moons: rare and spectacular.”

“Growing up my father was – at least in our eyes – the toughest man alive: a former cop, former boxer and full-time landmine. He worked tirelessly to provide for his family and in return, you were expected to do what he said, often before he said it. It was a somewhat impossible situation for any normally functioning nervous system. In a word, he was scary. Not because he was sadistic or physically abusive. He was scary because he was one of those people with an energetic ‘weight’ to him. He could snatch the life right out of you with a simple look. Shifting his weight ever so slightly from one foot to another could transform an otherwise delightful 6th birthday party into what felt like an Irish funeral.”

“When I turned 13, I decided to test the waters of questionable fashion and independence by procuring myself — an earring…My brothers were characteristically detailed with their feelings on the matter. My oldest brother told me I was going to die tonight. Like, DIE. ‘Do NOT do this. If Dad sees that thing in your ear, he’s gonna release your soul to the wind.’”

“Arriving at the dinner table, my face was numb and my ear was HOT. The little gold earring felt like it was flashing ember-red, as if to say, ‘LOOK AT ME!!! Over here! Your son is a tool! You raised a future Zen-garden salesman who collects artisanal bongs!’”

“I sat quietly, staring at the only friend I had: my lap. Every muscle in my body was rigid with fear and disgust with myself. I could hear my brothers enter the room together and solemnly shuffle their way to their usual seats. My Father’s measured breathing puffed to my left while my Mother took her seat to the right, seemingly unaware of the ticking bomb affixed to my ear. Dad’s eyes scanned the room like a flashlight thru fog. I anxiously waited for the beam to find me. When his eyes stopped scanning and rested in my direction, I held my breath and tensed my stomach. Before I could utter a single futile syllable he said… ‘Pussies.’ My head snapped up immediately. I could see he wasn’t just looking at me. His confused eyes darted spastically between all four boys in shock, disbelief and directionless anger. What he was in fact looking at, were four young men, sitting at a dinner table, each, with a freshly pierced ear. And a big Blue Moon rose to the occasion: rare, and pretty damn spectacular.”

To read the whole story head to Time!