--- title: Ryan Reynolds' Throwback Pic Shows Even He Had Awkward Stage description: It turns out that even Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Reynolds had an awkward stage, something that was confirmed by a throwback pic he shared. canonical: https://time.com/5086559/ryan-reynolds-throwback-picture/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-03T21:29:12.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:49:30.837Z og:title: The Internet Thinks Ryan Reynolds Used to Look Like Zack Morris og:description: The savvy Deadpool star is at it again og:url: https://time.com/5086559/ryan-reynolds-throwback-picture/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Internet Thinks Ryan Reynolds Used to Look Like Zack Morris twitter:description: The savvy Deadpool star is at it again twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # The Internet Thinks Ryan Reynolds Basically Used to Be Zack Morris > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 3, 2018 9:29 PM UTC  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Jan 3, 2018 9:29 PM UTC Lest you let [Ryan Reynolds](http://time.com/4759276/blake-lively-ryan-reynolds-john-legend/)‘ status as one of Hollywood’s heartthrobs fool you, rest assured that even the [_Deadpool_](http://time.com/4852824/ryan-reynolds-on-wonder-woman/) star had a typical awkward stage while he was growing up. In a Instagram post welcoming the new year, Reynolds shared a photo of himself in his youth, where he sported a striped polo and more prominently, a floppy bowl-cut hairstyle in a brassy bleach blonde hue, a dated look that was compared by many of Reynolds’ followers, to _Saved by the Bell_‘s inimitable [Zack Morris](http://time.com/3198235/saved-by-the-bell-cast-photos/). Reynolds, however, exercised a healthy sense of humor about it, noting wryly in his caption that he “used to style my hair with a blowtorch.” Further proof that sometimes even the most awkward of ducklings can become beautiful swans. 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