Quaid and Ryan divorced in 2001
Unfortunately, after a decade of marriage, the high-profile celebs called it quits. Rumors swirled around her relationship with Russell Crowe, as the two started dating after filming “Proof of Life” together. The divorce occurred due to different career paths, and while Quaid called their marriage his most successful relationship ever, Ryan said in an interview with the NYT that “the complexity of a life or a marriage is never going to exist in a headline or a tabloid”
She shifted her focus to indie movies
After being in the spotlight for all of her instant classics, Meg Ryan moved towards the indie world with films like “The French Kiss” and “In The Land of Women.” She also starred in “Serious Moonlight” in 2009, in which she plays a woman whose husband plans to leave her, so as a result, she kidnaps and holds him hostage.
She made her debut as a director in 2015
After over 30 years of acting, Ryan experimented on the other side of the camera with her movie “Ithaca,” in which she also starred. She told Vanity Fair that starring in her own film wasn’t a great idea as it split her attention. The actress spoke about the transition from acting to directing to NPR, telling the outlet that it was all about preparing and specific stages involving different groups of people.
Meg Ryan’s 8-year hiatus
Meg Ryan disappeared from the spotlight for almost a decade. Between 2016 and 2022, she took a step back from the Hollywood gaze because she wanted to develop other parts of her experience as a human being beyond acting, thinking of being an actor more as a job than a lifestyle. In her time off, she enjoyed time with her children, Jack Quaid and her daughter Daisy True Ryan, who she adopted in 2006.
She came back to the screen in 2023
The blond beauty came back with her own romantic comedy in 2023, “What Happens Later,” which she co-wrote, directed, and acted in with actor David Duchovny. She avoided the classic romantic comedy tropes by including more heartbreak and mixing up the “happily ever after” cliche without a meet-cute. The movie was dedicated to Nora Ephron, who passed away in 2012 but directed “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail” and had a touching relationship with Meg Ryan.
