Ryan Reynolds gifts new graduates free pizzas

While this graduation season is different from all the ones in the past, there’s no doubt that there is a silver lining: all the celebrities coming together to share a message of hope with the youth.

And funny man Ryan Reynolds is no exception. He delivered a virtual commencement speech for his alma mater, Kitsilano Secondary School in Vancouver yesterday. Making sure that the class of 2020 has something to celebrate about, the actor posted the video on his YouTube channel sharing words of inspiration and reminiscing, calling the school “the best thing that’s ever happened” to him.

“To this day I’m still friends with so many people I graduated with. So that says something. I’m probably not going to drop any mics here … but I can pass on this little chestnut of wisdom,” he said.

“Some of you may consider me successful. I don’t know, some of you may have seen Green Lantern,” he joked, “but I’ll tell you this — empathy has gotten me so much farther in not only in my life but in my career.” He reassured students how important it was to practice empathy since it is “just about the most radical act of ambition that you can ever demonstrate.”

After being his charming self, Reynolds left the class of 2020 with one particularly special gift. Stating that he missed pizza from the local shop, he shared, “every grad gets one large pizza on me.” “Good luck, everybody!”

Watch his full speech below: