Ryan Reynolds: Must Leading Man

Ryan Reynolds is simply too smart and self-aware to be so good-looking. The reticent hunk — who kicks off our Must List for 2009, thanks to his big-screen summer double shot of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Proposal — spent his EW cover shoot wielding a giant water gun instead of an ego, and try as he might, he simply cannot muster the arrogance to flaunt what he's got. When asked if he's comfortable as a sex symbol, Reynolds sighs. ''If you take any of that seriously, you need to be euthanized, ASAP,'' he says. ''There are moments when you can use that to your advantage. But it's really embarrassing. I think I fear more than anything just sounding like a complete a -- hole when I have to answer that question.''

So let's skip to the work, where the 32-year-old Canadian is more at home. Of late, he's certainly done enough of it. In a span of 15 months Reynolds shot four consecutive films: April's teen comedy Adventureland; Wolverine, soon to spawn a spin-off for Reynolds' sarcastic mercenary-turned-mutant, Deadpool; The Proposal, a romantic comedy (in theaters now) that lets him crack wise opposite old friend Sandra Bullock; and Paper Man, which debuted this month at the L.A. Film Festival, where Reynolds plays Jeff Daniels' imaginary superhero friend. (He also found time last September to wed actress Scarlett Johansson, a marriage he prefers not to talk about beyond calling it ''fantastic.'')

The more prominent of his two tights-centric roles fit the actor perfectly, and it's hardly an accident: For the past six years, Reynolds had been trying to develop a Deadpool franchise on his own. ''At its core, this is a movie about a guy in a red spandex suit who's in the midst of a shame spiral. That cracks me up,'' he says, promising the next film will hew closer to the original Marvel mythology than Wolverine allowed. Meanwhile, in The Proposal, Reynolds dials down the bang-bang and dials up the charm, playing the assistant to a hard-driving book editor with an expired visa (Bullock). The two trade a sham marriage for a promotion, and high jinks ensue. A much-discussed naked Bullock scene aside (for more on that, see page 54), the real draw of the movie is a chance to see its charismatic stars go head-to-head. ''We had a kind of Abbott and Costello routine we'd been doing for years anyway,'' says Reynolds of the natural partnership. ''When I get someone like Sandy to work with — who's so good at hitting the gas — it's perfect for me.''

But even if the cross-gender appeal of this summer's labor vaults Reynolds into the marquee stratosphere many have long anticipated he'll reach, the Man Who Was Van Wilder But Has Since Proven He's Capable of So Much More will still probably pass on the arrogance thing. ''I've always just liked working. I like being a working actor,'' he says. ''There's an old saying that you don't ever finish a movie, you abandon it, and I really believe that. I never walk away from a take and pat myself on the back. You always walk away going, 'Dammit, I should have tried this!' It's that possibility that keeps me coming back for more.'' Wait, artistic integrity and hot abs? Did we mention the guy's a Must?