Daisy, Meg Ryan’s daughter, says she feels this way after viewing a feel-good movie. “It’s the cutest thing,” the 61-year-old writer, director, and actor says in this week’s cover story for People. “That feeling at the end that just makes you feel your heart open”
Ryan is no stranger to the experience. She established herself as the eternal queen of romantic comedies with roles in films such as When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle. She was also successful in tragic films like When a Man Loves a Woman and Courage Under Fire.
But as her celebrity increased, so did her desire to stay away from the limelight. “I took a huge break because there were just so many other parts of my experience as a human being that I wanted to develop,” she adds, referring to her roles as a mother to her two children, Jack, 31, with ex-husband Dennis Quaid, and Daisy, 18, whom she adopted in 2006.
“It’s nice to think of it as a job rather than a way of life.” “And that is a great way for me to navigate it,” she explains.
Ryan is finally back on the big screen eight years after her last feature, Ithaca, her directorial debut in 2015. She co-wrote, directed, and appears in the new rom-com What Happens Later, about ex-lovers who become stranded together overnight at a provincial airport. (During the strike, SAG-AFTRA granted the picture an interim agreement that allowed for publicity.)
“It came to me during the lockdown,” she explains. “It all boils down to these two people who are stuck together.” I really enjoy the concept of being kept in a location, even if it feels conflicting, for reasons that heal us.”
Ryan, who co-stars with David Duchovny, describes the entire production as “magical.” It’s a little roller-coaster trip between these two people, and it kind of begs the question, “Will they or won’t they end up together?” These are folks who once broke each other’s hearts. And I believe what they earned is gratitude for it.”
Is she now convinced that everything happens for a reason? Ryan considers Nora Ephron, who wrote and directed several of her iconic rom-coms. “In retrospect, I feel it’s true, yeah,” she said. “Kismet, fate, and destiny had a role in the films I made with Nora. And there’s something really reassuring about that.”
What Happens Later will be released in cinemas on November 3.