Ryan Reynolds's 2005 fat-suit friendzone rom-com Just Friends was filmed partly in Saskatchewan — but the star's visit to his home country nearly went badly, since the actor has now revealed that he was "scared of going to jail" after defacing the Regina sign as a prank.
Appearing on the podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend this week, the host told Reynolds that Just Friends was "one of [his] favourite Christmas comedies." Reynolds shared, "We shot in Regina, Saskatchewan. It's one of my few times that I've ever been scared of going to jail, because, just as a joke, me and the art department made a sign that would snap over the 'Welcome to Regina' sign. And it just said, 'Welcome to Regina, which rhymes with fun.'
This evidently got RyRy in hot water with the RCMP. He recalled, "I got in trouble, though. But then they thought it was funny because it snapped off. So at first it was vandalism, and then it was class." He added that his late father was an RCMP officer, and his brother is now on the force.
Just Friends was filmed partly in Regina and Moose Jaw, although it wasn't set in either city, since Canada was simply standing in for New Jersey. In other words, Reynolds's suggestive Regina sign was purely a prank, rather than a joke for the movie.