Meg Ryan is one of the all-time greatest movie stars.
Early on, she made appearances in a number of different genres before finding the type
of movie that would define her career and make her incredibly popular: the romantic
comedy.
Showing she wasn't just somebody to build a happily-ever-after around, Ryan kept making
notable dramatic movies, too, but, over the years, her presence in Hollywood has become
pretty much nonexistent.
So, what went wrong?
From box office flops to her notable aversion to fame, let's take a deep dive into the real
reasons Meg Ryan's career seems to be a thing of the past.
Bad box office
While she's most fondly remembered for genre-defining romantic comedies of the '80s and '90s, by
the time the 2000s rolled around, Ryan's movies weren't considered the masterpieces they once
were, nor did they pull in blockbuster numbers at the North American box office.
First there was Hanging Up, which made a surprisingly low $36 million at the box office.
The kidnapping drama Proof of Life came later that year and then promptly left theaters.
Kate and Leopold was basically a mega-hit at $47 million when compared to the meager
earnings of In the Cut, Against the Ropes, and In the Land of Women.
To make things worse, not only did Meg Ryan's Y2K-era movies strike out with audiences,
major movie critics were ambivalent at best.
The Rotten Tomatoes scores of the movies in Ryan's cinematic dark period range from only
12 percent to 50 percent.
Blockbuster rentals
Ryan suffered a string of flops, but at least they were released in movie theaters.
Shortly after the release of The Women in 2008, Ryan starred in two consecutive films
that didn't even make it to your local multiplex: My Mom's New Boyfriend and The Deal, which
both went straight to DVD.
The runaway success of on-demand streaming may have changed the way we consume entertainment,
but Hollywood's best and brightest star in movies that hit the multiplex first.
Meg Ryan just wasn't the kind of actress to have two films in a row unceremoniously dumped
on DVD.
So what happened?
Personal drama
During the early 2000s, rumors surfaced that the star allegedly cheated on her then-husband
of nine years, movie star Dennis Quaid, with her Proof of Life co-star Russell Crowe.
Ryan didn't really address the situation at the time, leaving herself open to bitter tabloid
rumors of a messy divorce.
Subsequently, there was something of a backlash against Ryan — an affair with a co-star
was not something a true America's Sweetheart would do.
But there's more to the story.
In 2008 Ryan explained the situation, telling InStyle,
"What wasn't in the story was the reality of my marriage.
Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful."
Ryan and Quaid did divorce, but the media attention surrounding it, while career-harming,
was personally freeing for the actress.
She went on to say,
"I didn't have to care about what people thought.
[I could] be totally under the radar and live my life."
In other words, America's Sweetheart was done being America's Sweetheart.
"There's almost no win in any of the world of tabloid, because as soon as you defend
yourself there's more story."
The fame game
For better or worse, part of the job of being an actor is to promote your work.
Actors may love bringing characters to life, but they've also got to get the word out about
the productions that enable them to use their talents.
This can be demoralizing or tawdry for actors, and some of them downright hate it.
Ryan spoke of these feelings in a 2016 interview with Vanity Fair, admitting,
"I am a terrible celebrity.
If I started my career today, I wouldn't have a chance.
Social media has changed things.
It's so vast and big.
I couldn't handle the constant attention and the judging."
Never met your dad
In 2014, CBS's How I Met Your Mother ended its nine-season run.
It's safe to assume the show's diehard fans were thrilled when news broke that CBS had
a spinoff-slash-reboot of the show in the works called How I Met Your Dad.
This one would be from the female perspective and explore how a woman met the father of
her children.
The element of narration would be repeated, this time with the voice of somebody who knew
a thing or two about how to sell an on-screen romance: Meg Ryan.
Though it was seen as a lock for the fall schedule, CBS ultimately — and surprisingly
— passed on the show, thus ending Ryan's attempt at a TV-based comeback.
Out of Hollywood
Ryan has been working in show business for nearly 40 years now.
Maybe she just needed a break.
Unfortunately, taking time off is dangerous in Hollywood.
However, Ryan made the choice to take a breather for a good reason: She wanted some time to
raise her kids, and to raise them in New York.
She's often been spotted in Manhattan with her daughter, Daisy.
A friend of Ryan's told Closer Weekly,
"Meg is as dedicated a parent as you'd ever want to see — keeping Daisy's best interests
in mind, having fun with her, taking her to school events and dance lessons really keeps
her grounded."
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