Meg Ryan was the queen of the rom-com and one of Hollywood’s “It Girls” during her time. With her dazzling smile and enticing blue eyes, she stood out among many, and despite never dreaming of becoming an actor, she took the world by storm with her numerous performances.
She made her acting debut in the 1981 drama “Rich and Famous,” portraying Debbie Blake, and then joined the cast of the CBS serial opera “As The World Turns,” where she portrayed Elizabeth “Betsy” Stewart.
In the mid-’80s, she had a supporting role in the box office smash “Top Gun,” and in 1987, she received critical praise for her performance in “Promised Land.” That same year, she co-starred in the science fiction picture “Innerspace,” where she met her husband, Dennis Quaid.
Despite their instant infatuation, they did not begin dating until the following year, when they acted in the thriller film “D.O.A.” They married on Valentine’s Day in 1991 and had their son Jack in 1992.
Ryan said that the wedding had not been planned in advance and that they had woken up one morning and decided it was the day. They went to City Hall, but the line was too long, so they had the concierge at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles find a minister for them, and the couple got married in their hotel room.
A year into their relationship, Ryan secured her breakout role as Sally in the romantic comedy-drama “When Harry Met Sally,” for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. Her profession took off during the following decade, and she became a household name.
Sadly, her spouse was not pleased with her meteoric ascent in her work. Quaid, who has appeared in films such as “I Can Only Imagine,” “Strange World,” and “The Parent Trap,” among others, was irritated that his wife was more renowned than him.
During an interview, Quaid said that when he and Ryan first met, he was a big deal, but as their relationship evolved, the tables changed.
Even as Ryan’s fame grew, his career started to dwindle. When they were out on the streets, admirers would only yell her name, and it gradually but steadily got under Quaid’s skin.
In hindsight, he believes the jealousy should not have occurred. But he long ago determined not to weep over lost milk, instead seeing it as a learning experience from which he has since developed.
Unfortunately, while the world welcomed the new century, the “The Day After Tomorrow” actor and the “In The Land of Women” actress were lamenting the end of their relationship.
Ryan and Quaid separated in 2000, and their divorce was finalized in July 2001. They kept in touch even after their divorce due to their then-8-year-old son Jack.
People reported seeing them together in August 1998 as they escorted their son to the movies and church. They had supposedly been apart for some time at this point. Something else began to happen in Ryan’s life after they announced their split. She started dating “Proof of Life” co-star Russell Crowe.
When Ryan and Quaid separated, the rumor mills went into overdrive, with many thinking that she had abandoned her marriage for Crowe.
Ryan was chastised for it; years later, she said that her supposedly happy marriage hadn’t “been a happening marriage” and had been a very dysfunctional one for a long time. She admitted to Oprah that she had made a huge mistake by remaining in her marriage for longer than she should have. She said that it was never about another man. It was all about what her and Dennis’ relationship couldn’t handle.
She will be forever thankful to Crowe, who stuck by her side despite criticism for being a wrecker, which Ryan claims is far from the truth and that he did not leave his marriage because of Russell Crowe. He ended his marriage because it was failing.
Ryan initially claimed that the breakdown of their marriage was not her fault, nor was it Quaid’s. In reality, she publicly said that the actor from “The Intruder” was an honorable guy who had never cheated.
She told that Quaid had cheated on her for a long period, but she only discovered it after their divorce. Each blamed the other for their marriage’s demise, with Ryan blaming Quaid’s bad habits and Quaid blaming Ryan’s celebrity.
People’s perceptions of her were far from the heroines she portrayed in the films that made America fall in love with her, and any efforts to clean up her image were met with a brick wall.
Even her admission that Quaid had cheated on her did not deflect the criticism. Ryan and Quaid ultimately divorced, and rather than sympathizing with her, individuals continued to blame her for the demise of her marriage.
The harm had already been done, and she couldn’t go back to being America’s darling. Sadly, her bad luck was not restricted to her personal life.
The once-famous actress, who established her reputation with classics like “Courage Under Fire,” “City of Angels,” and “When A Man Loves A Woman,” quickly found herself in box office failures like 2003’s “In The Cut.”
She was the most sought-after Hollywood actress one minute and a life experience the next. It didn’t look well on her, and as she told she was exhausted and didn’t feel like she understood enough about herself or the world to be able to portray it as an actor. She felt alone.
Ryan eventually became dissatisfied with her roles and her tarnished image and wanted to reconsider her decisions. A life away from the lights and glitter of Hollywood did not seem to be all that horrible.
After all, a less visible, more tranquil existence would give her more time to herself and enable her to focus on being a present mother to her son, Jack, and her daughter, Daisy True, whom she adopted from China in 2006.
She finally relocated from Los Angeles to New York only days after her son graduated from high school and cheerfully accepted her position as a single mother.
Despite the fact that her son was usually with his dad and the two were close, Ryan preferred raising the children on her own, finding that it was far simpler than sharing parenting responsibilities with another adult.
Her withdrawal from Hollywood created a trail of rumor and suspicion, but that was the life she had chosen, and it served her well.
During her absence, she prioritized her friends and family, spending significant time with her son and daughter. She also started an eCommerce enterprise with her buddies, which helped bring them closer together.
Despite her years-long absence from the stage, the actress maintained contacts with the profession, working behind the scenes as a producer and director, according to The Things. Her debut film, “Ithaca,” was released in 2015, and she seemed to appreciate the experience and realize that this may be her calling.
Ryan attracted criticism after returning to show business for supposedly having surgery done on her face, with journalists and fans remarking how different she appeared for the 2016 Tony Awards. Nobody knew for sure whether she had cosmetic surgery to improve her appearance.
Nonetheless, Hollywood Life decided to investigate the truth behind her new look and sought the advice of Younique Cosmetics cosmetic surgeon Mark Youssef.
When asked for his professional opinion on Ryan’s new appearance, he said that she not only had something done, but she had too much done. He stated she didn’t look like the Ryan people knew, which might explain why people responded the way they did to her new look.
Ryan had some filler or fat injected into her cheeks, which Youssef thought was too much since her cheeks appeared too wide.
He also mentioned her nose, stating it was smaller than previously. He mistook her for having a rhinoplasty, a treatment that makes the nose seem more pinched. She allegedly had volume added to her lips, Botox applied to her forehead, and a facelift.
Fans flocked to Twitter to share their thoughts on her new look, with the majority of them criticizing her for opting for cosmetic surgery to improve her appearance.
@christine32365 used strong language to express her displeasure with the actress’s look, requesting that her money be refunded:
“She looks revolting!” Get your money back since it was a colossal failure.”
@lauski56 believed the ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ actress looked like a broken doll, while @EastsideMC found her new style made it difficult to look at her.
Her absence from Hollywood was not just for professional reasons. She needed some time alone to work out her love life since her previous marriage had been such a difficult experience. In 2010, when she fell in love with singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, she contracted the love bug.
They were together for four years until splitting up in 2014. They rekindled their spark in 2017 and got engaged in 2018, with the “Against The Rope” actress announcing her engagement to the “Hurts So Good” singer on Instagram.
Ryan and Mellencamp created a lovely love tale. They were often seen shopping at Gourmet Garage in New York’s SOHO neighborhood or drinking coffee at Espresso Love. They seemed to be an ideal match.
However, the couple’s second effort to make things work failed. The couple split up in 2019, with rumours stating the actress had called it quits on their engagement.
Ryan was seen wearing an engagement ring on her engagement finger over brunch in Santa Monica in 2021. It has sparked speculation about whether the actress is still engaged to Mellecamp or has moved on. She, on the other hand, has been silent about it, and it remains a mystery.
Ryan was reported to have lost interest in acting, but she is now back in the game. While fans wait to see what the actress has in store for her in terms of love, she is busy acting and directing and will most likely win back people’s favor with the new program in which she portrays Willa and also serves as a producer.
The “Serious Moonlight” actress will play Willa in the 2023 rom-com “What Happens Later,” which is about ex-lovers meeting after decades apart.
