Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively fell in love on a double date - with other people.

He recalled: "About a year after 'Green Lantern' had come and gone and we were both single we went on a double date - she was on a date with another guy and I was on a date with another girl - and it was like the most awkward date for the respective parties because we were just like fireworks coming across."

The 39-year-old actor - who married Blake, 28, in September 2012 - thinks his friendship with the former 'Gossip Girl' star helped build a strong foundation for their relationship.

He added in an interview with SiriusXM: "We were buddies for a long time, which I think is the best way to have a relationship, to start as friends."

Meanwhile, the actor has praised "genius" make-up artist Bill Corso for making his penis look "perfect".

He said: "He's a genius and he made my penis look perfect. I'm very grateful.

"[He applied make-up] in places where no man needs to be with a paintbrush."

Ryan - who spent hours getting transformed into the scarred and disfigured superhero every day on set - insisted all the nude scenes were entirely natural, not using prosthetics as has been speculated.

He said: "The only way to do that is just do it. We had a little talk with the crew at the beginning of the day and just said, 'You're going to see parts of the dance floor here that you weren't ready for. I'm sorry in advance, but we're all in this together.' "