Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds is set to earn more than $300m from his investment in budget telecoms firm Mint Mobile after T-Mobile, the second-largest mobile phone carrier in the US, agreed to buy a company that includes Mint Mobile. Reynolds owns 25% of Mint Mobile, which he has actively promoted through his advertising company Maximum Effort. In addition to Mint Mobile, Reynolds has also sold a gin brand he co-owned for $610m and is a co-owner of Welsh football team Wrexham AFC.
Despite his financial success, Reynolds has continued to act and has starred in several blockbuster movies, including Deadpool 2, The Adam Project, and Free Guy. In 2020, he was named the second highest-paid actor in the world by Forbes, earning over $20m per film. However, Reynolds is not alone in his investment activities, with many other celebrities investing in non-acting projects. Ashton Kutcher, for example, owns a venture capital firm with stakes in Uber, Skype, and Airbnb, while Snoop Dogg and Jared Leto are both investors in Reddit.
Reynolds has been actively involved in Mint Mobile’s advertising campaigns through Maximum Effort, a creative production company he founded. The company has also created ads for Peloton and Reynolds’ gin brand, Aviation American Gin, which he sold to spirits giant Diageo in 2020. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Reynolds described Maximum Effort’s work as “advertising,” aiming to create short viral adverts that are character-driven rather than spectacle-driven.
Despite his success in non-acting ventures, Reynolds continues to act, with his upcoming film Deadpool 3 expected to be released in 2024. In the film, he will star alongside Hugh Jackman, who will reprise his role as Wolverine. Reynolds’ investment activities highlight the growing trend of celebrities diversifying their income streams and investing in non-entertainment ventures.
