Meg Ryan admitted that she doesn’t think she’s the best at being a celebrity.
“I have to say, I don’t think I was a very good famous person,” Ryan, 61, said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight published on Tuesday, October 31. “I just don’t think I’m a good celebrity … I just always felt a little bit like life was over, like, outside this little bubble; outside some sort of membrane. And I remember cars closing — like, expensive cars — and then you don’t hear the outside anymore.”
Ryan explained that experiencing the intense seclusion can make a person feel “roped off” which could lead to a “limited life” especially for an artist or creative person to “draw” inspiration from. The actress ultimately decided to move outside of Los Angeles to change things up in her personal life.
“I have a very charmed life. People generally smile when they say hi to me, and they’re happy about some of the movies I’ve done, and that’s great,” she explained. “I’m not saying anything bad about that. I have a very charmed experience, I recognize that.
The actress became well-known as a romantic comedy icon throughout the ‘90s. After gaining success, Ryan decided to take a step back from the limelight and limited the amount of jobs she took. In the past decade, she’s only starred in a handful of films, including 2015’s Ithaca — where she also made her directorial debut.
“I was burned out. I didn’t feel like I knew enough anymore about myself or the world to reflect it as an actor. I felt isolated,” Ryan said in a February 2019 interview with The New York Times Magazine. “There are so many advantages to being famous — but there are fundamental disadvantages for a part of your brain, your self, your soul. My experiences were too limited. … I wasn’t as curious about acting as I was about other things that life can give you.”
During her time off, she focused her energy on her children: son Jack Quaid whom she shares with ex-husband Dennis Quaid and daughter Daisy whom she adopted in 2006.
However, the acting bug began to scratch Ryan yet again. In May 2022, she announced that she would be returning to the rom-com industry with a new film titled What Happens Later which also stars David Duchovny. In addition to starring in the film, Ryan also cowrote and directed the project.
“HERE WE GO!!” Ryan wrote via Instagram at the time alongside a poster for the movie which premieres in theaters on Friday, November 3.
