Ryan Reynolds' brothers got their ears pierced to "save" him from their dad's anger.
The 45-year-old actor thought it would be a "cool thing" to have an earring when he was around 12 after being inspired by pop duo Wham! but when he confided in one of his siblings, he was warned their father James wouldn't be impressed.
In a clip from David Letterman's Netflix talk show 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction' obtained by 'Entertainment Tonight', he recalled: “My brother said, ‘You’re going to die. You’re going to show up at dinner tonight and there will be a messy stabbing death because Dad is going to take one of the utensils and stab you."
But despite the warning, the 'Free Guy' actor - who has three daughters with wife Blake Lively - went to "wherever the hell you go" to get an ear pierced with a friend and his mom anyway, and recalled how nervous he felt when he got home.
He said: “I get to the dinner table and I remember sweat was dripping down my lap and I’m looking down and I can feel his gaze hit me."
Fortunately, his brothers had already intervened to ensure Ryan wasn't the sole focus of James' wrath.
He continued: "He mutters some swear word under his breath, and I look up and I look around and I see that all three of my brothers had gotten an earring to sorta save me.
"One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life.”
The 'Deadpool' star - who is the youngest of four boys - previously spoke of how his dad could be "scary".
Describing his father as “the toughest man alive: a former cop, former boxer and full-time landmine", he added: "He worked tirelessly to provide for his family and in return, you were expected to do what he said, often before he said it.
“In a word, he was scary. Not because he was sadistic or physically abusive. He was scary because he was one of those people with an energetic ‘weight’ to him...
“Shifting his weight ever so slightly from one foot to another could transform an otherwise delightful 6th birthday party into what felt like an Irish funeral.”
Ryan's dad died after battling Parkinson's in 2015 and they were able to mend their troubled relationship before he passed away.
Tagged in David Letterman Ryan Reynolds Blake Lively