Why Meg Ryan Took A 'Giant Break' From Hollywood

Meg Ryan was THE rom com star in the late ’80s and all through the ’90s. Then a few years into the 2000s she just… stepped away.

After 2009’s Serious Moonlight she made a few TV appearances. Then her directorial debut Ithaca — a period war film in which she was behind the camera more than in front of it — served as something of a swan song. That was 2015. Since then she hasn’t even been on a movie set. Eight years with no Meg Ryan movies.

That ends with What Happens Next, which she co-wrote, directed, and stars in. The upcoming flick, co-starring David Duchovny, brings her back to her wheel house. We’re finally getting a Meg Ryan rom com again!

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So the question we’re all asking is… why was she gone so long?? In an interview with People out Wednesday the When Harry Met Sally star explains:

“I took a giant break because I felt like there’s just so many other parts of my experience as a human being I wanted to develop.”

Interesting! One of those parts was her role as a mom. While Jack Quaid, her son with actor Dennis Quaid, was already grown by the time she made Ithaca (he even has a sizable part in it), her daughter was still pretty young. She adopted Daisy True Ryan back in 2006, right around the time she was really slowing down. Now that she’s 18 years old, it seems Meg is ready to once again go back to work! And that’s just how she puts it, too, explaining:

“It’s nice to think of it as a job and not a lifestyle. And that is a great way of navigating it for me.”

Hmm. A lot of moms do take off time to raise their kids, so it makes sense. Even if your job is beloved international movie star, it’s still a job. We’re just happy to have Meg back at the ol’ mill again!

What Happens Next hits theaters on November 3! See the trailer (below)!