Ryan Reynolds, Professional Scamp, Lets His Local Pizzeria Believe He's Ben Affleck

If you've ever had a doppelgänger, you know how simultaneously frustrating and also hilarious it can make life. People will accuse you of being in places you've never been, friends will sheepishly tell you stories about time they thought they saw you on the street, it's a wild situation. Dickens, Dostoevsky and probably a hundred other artists with 'D' last names have explored the phenomenon, and while it's a rich well for any artist to draw from, we truly can't stop laughing at Ryan Reynolds' pizza-packed doppelgänger confession. Forget about "The Double," we have a new delightfully mundane and yet weirdly fun story. 

In a episode of Hank and John Green's podcast, "Dear Hank & John" (via Entertainment Tonight), Deadpool himself admitted there's a certain pizza place in New York's East Village that has mistaken him for Ben Affleck ... For years:

"They believe I'm Ben Affleck and I've never corrected them ... I feel it would not go over well if I revealed. They're not giving me free pizza based on the fact. I do everything normal like everybody else."

Reynolds' story didn't stop there, he added that, on top of just going along with their assumption, he's probably actively giving Affleck a bad rep with the pizza spot, because he always seems kind of moody:

"What I think makes it so believable is that I look so mildly put out ... When I leave, I think they're like, 'I don't think Ben Affleck is amused by us. I gotta be more chipper. I gotta take care of Ben.'"

This isn't the first time Reynolds has dealt with a doppelgänger; in 2019 he joked about looking just like Kate Beckinsale, but this feels so much stranger in the best way. I can understand why he might not correct the people who work at the pizza spot the first time. If you're a celebrity worried about being mobbed by fans or paparazzi, you're probably just trying to get in and out as fast as you can, but to keep the ruse alive for years? At that point, I think you've slipped past just letting it happen to you and now you're actively playing into it. And in this case, it's kind of fun. I hope Affleck starts putting his Dunkin' orders under the name "Ryan" and I hope the pizza place in question never hears this podcast or reads any of the news about it. Your parents probably never told you this, but some lies are funny and should be allowed to live on.

Although, there is one more piece to this case of mistaken identity. Beyond cosplaying as a put out Affleck, Reynolds has straight up answered questions about Affleck's life, as he said in the podcast: "They'll ask how J.Lo is, and I go 'great' and just get my pizza and go off." 

Perfect. I hope you're leaving some extra money in the tip jar, Reynolds, and be sure to give J.Lo my best.