How Ryan Reynolds is scrambling to protect his 'nice guy' image as Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni legal battle turns ugly - from 'staged' paparazzi shoot to 'focus-shifting' Wrexham announcement

In his 34 years in the spotlight, there's no denying Ryan Reynolds made being Hollywood's 'nice guy' a key part of his personal brand. Having started his career as a teenage soap opera heartthrob in the 1990s, the father-of-four has worked with a wide range of charities over the years - famously donating $1m to Ukrainian refugees in 2022. Since buying Wrexham with Robert McElhenney in 2020, the Deadpool star has also helped the flagging football club secure over £475m in investment - prompting adoring fans to dub their Disney+ docu-series the 'real Ted Lasso'.

Only two months ago, the actor received Officer of the Order of Canada, which is the country's highest civilian honour, for his philanthropic work. But for the first time in his hugely successful career, it seems the tides are turning against Ryan Reynolds and his carefully curated image - as his wife Blake Lively's legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni turns ugly. In December, Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni, his production company and lead producer Jamey Heath. As part of the legal proceedings, Blake accused her co-star and director of sexual harassment and for spearheading a smear campaign launched in retaliation for speaking out against his alleged misconduct on the set.

Although Ryan was not officially involved in the Colleen Hoover adaptation, Justin has accused Blake and her husband of kicking him off his own film in his $400m counter suit- and claims the Deadpool actor tried to destroy his career. Amid this ongoing legal drama, Ryan has now been accused of 'staging' a paparazzi outing in New York - where he was pictured being swarmed by fans brandishing homemade Deadpool posters last week.

Pictured: Ryan Reynolds signing autographs for fans with homemade Deadpool posters in New York last week. Pictured: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively at the New York premiere of It Ends With Us in August 2024. In addition, Ryan unveiled Wrexham's stunning new stadium plans yesterday - around the same time his wife's attorney was going head-to-head with Justin's legal representatives for the first time in court.

Here FEMAIL reveals how Ryan is scrambling to salvage his 'nice guy' image amid one of the most public legal battles in Hollywood history - as one PR expert says the A-Lister is 'losing control' of how the public perceives him. Last Thursday, Ryan Reynolds was photographed signing autographs for dozens of fans outside of The Paley Center in New York. However, it didn't long until online commentators grew suspicious over whether it had been part of a carefully planned media approach to rehabilitate Ryan's image.

Labelling the appearance 'fake', TikTok user Tenille - who boasts 95,000 followers - highlighted how all of the 'homemade' Deadpool posters looked incredibly similar - having been made out of old cardboard and colourful tape. She asked: 'Why does everybody have the same sign? The exact same pens? Everybody's sign looks like it was made by the same five-year-old [...]. 'You're telling me that all these people randomly went out, bumped into Ryan Reynolds and all happened to have the exact same random signs?.

Last Thursday, Ryan Reynolds was photographed signing autographs for dozens of fans outside of The Paley Center in New York. Online commentators grew suspicious over whether it had been part of a carefully planned media approach to rehabilitate Ryan's image. TikTok user Tenille - who boasts 95,000 followers - highlighted how all of the 'homemade' Deadpool posters looked incredibly similar. 'And where is everybody's phones? Why is nobody recording? This is 2025. I knew celebrities called paparazzi on themselves but this is too far Ryan!'.

Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, Emily Austen - who is the CEO of PR agency Emerge London - said the appearance 'projects an image of likability' and proves Ryan has a 'loyal supporters'. The PR expert explained: 'The staged pap shots [could have likely been] a plan to generate up to date imagery of Ryan that doesn’t specifically link to the lawsuit, in order to try and nudge the news agenda on. 'As seen in his televised Wrexham documentary, Ryan generally is an upbeat, funny and thoughtful man.

'The most recent press questions this, and so it’s entirely possible that he wants to secure more positive press as part of his character perception as the trial begins. 'Most celebrity public personas are carefully controlled and planned. Commercial deals, sequencing of publicity, messaging, documentaries are all part of a larger strategy. This relies on control, something Ryan Reynolds is beginning to lose.'.

Pictured: A-Lister Ryan Reynolds at Wrexham football club's fixture against Notts County in April 2023. As his wife's attorney faced off against Justin Baldoni's in court yesterday, Ryan Reynolds unveiled plans for Wrexham's stadium (pictured). Yesterday, attorneys representing Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni met in court for a 90-minute hearing - marking the official start of the stars' legal battle.