I've always had anxiety: Ryan Reynolds

Famous for his quick wit, 'Deadpool' star Ryan Reynolds has opened up about his ongoing struggle with anxiety.

"I have anxiety, I've always had anxiety," Reynolds told The New York Times.

"Both in the lighthearted 'I'm anxious about this' kind of thing, and I've been to the depths of the darker end of the spectrum, which is not fun," he said.

The 41-year-old further revealed his early 20s became his "real unhinged phase."

"I was partying and just trying to make myself vanish in some way," he said, admitting that he self-medicated to deal with crippling anxiety, though he stopped when some of his friends died of overdoses.

The 'Green Lantern' star said he is now dealing with the anxiety of his major press tour for 'Deadpool 2' by doing many of the interviews in character.

"When the curtain opens, I turn on this knucklehead, and he kind of takes over and goes away again once I walk off set," he explained. "That's that great self-defense mechanism. I figure if you're going to jump off a cliff, you might as well fly."

Based on the Marvel Comics character Deadpool, the sequel to the 2016 film is all set to hit theatres on May 18.