Meg Ryan's Image Was Never The Same After This Seriously Awkward Interview

Over the years, many celebrities have been deemed "America's sweetheart," but in the late '80s and '90s, this title undoubtedly belonged to Meg Ryan. With movies like "When Harry Met Sally...," "Sleepless in Seattle," and "You've Got Mail," Ryan captivated audiences and became one of the most popular actresses in the world. At the turn of the century, she seemed to have the world in the palm of her hands, but things can change quickly in Hollywood.

In the early 2000s, the public turned on Ryan after a rumored affair, her highly publicized divorce from Denis Quaid, and several movies that were critical and commercial failures. Ryan's appearance on the hit British talk show "Parkinson" added fuel to the fire that her career had become. So, let's explore why Ryan's career was never the same after what has been deemed one of the most awkward celebrity interviews ever.

Meg Ryan emerged on the scene in the 1980s by starring in various television shows and movies like "Top Gun" and "Promised Land." However, it was the 1989 romantic comedy film "When Harry Met Sally..." that truly established her as a Hollywood star. "When Harry Met Sally..." was Ryan's first collaboration with writer Nora Ephron. Their partnership led to more hit rom-coms in the '90s, such as "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've Got Mail." Because of these movies and several others, heading into the 2000s, it was clear that Ryan was the queen of the romantic comedy genre.

Since practically all of her characters were so charming, Ryan was viewed as America's sweetheart in the '80s and '90s. In his review of "Sleepless in Seattle," respected film critic Roger Ebert even described her as "one of the most likable actresses around." Furthermore, speaking with Yahoo! Entertainment, Emily Carmen, who is an associate professor at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, claimed that Ryan "updated that girl-next-door image" through her rom-coms. Clearly, Ryan had a crystal-clear reputation in the '80s and '90s, but that would all change in the early 2000s.

In 1991, Meg Ryan married her "Innerspace" co-star Dennis Quaid. For many years, it seemed like Ryan and Quaid were a perfect Hollywood couple, but at the turn of the century, it became clear that there were many problems in their marriage. While they filmed the 2000 movie "Proof of Life" together, Hollywood tabloids reported that a romance had sparked between Ryan and Russell Crowe. In 2001, less than a year after the release of "Proof of Life," Ryan and Quaid got divorced. While Ryan had found true love many times in rom-coms, it seemed like her personal love life was crumbling in the early 2000s, and rumors that she had an affair with Crowe changed the public's perception of her.

However, in the years since her divorce from Quaid, Ryan has insisted that her connection to Crowe did not end their marriage. In fact, in a 2008 interview with InStyle (via 9Honey), Ryan suggested that Quaid had cheated on her before she ever met Crowe. "Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful," she stated. Also reported by 9Honey, the actress spoke more about her failed marriage to Quaid during an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2006. "My marriage was a ... very unhealthy marriage," she said. "I probably should have left it much earlier. I was very sad that it came apart in the way it seemed to have. It was never about another man. It was just about what my and Dennis' relationship couldn't sustain."

Even though she dated Crowe for about a year, Ryan insisted in the InStyle interview that the "Gladiator" actor didn't contribute to her divorce. She said, "Russell didn't break up the marriage. He was definitely there at the end, but it wasn't his fault. I was a mess. I hurt him, too, at the end. I couldn't be in another long relationship, it wasn't the time for that. So I got out."

After her divorce from Quaid, it was clear that the general public no longer viewed Meg Ryan as America's sweetheart. The actress seemingly embraced this when she signed on to play the lead in Jane Campion's 2003 erotic thriller "In the Cut." In the film, Ryan plays Frannie Avery, an English teacher who strikes up a passionate sexual relationship with a New York City detective who is investigating a string of killings. "In the Cut" features several nude sex scenes between Ryan and her co-star Mark Ruffalo, which was a major departure from her usual family-friendly rom-coms.

Starring in "In the Cut" was a bold career move for Ryan, and unfortunately, it didn't necessarily pay off. While the actress has consistently claimed she is proud of the movie, "In the Cut" performed poorly at the box office and was scorned by critics. Currently, the film has a score of just 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. Campion's film has been reexamined in the years since its release, and some critics have even described it as a masterpiece, but in the early 2000s, it was seen as one of the biggest failures of Ryan's career. She was criticized by many for her risqué performance in "In the Cut," including renowned British journalist Michael Parkinson, which led to an incredibly awkward interview.

While on her press tour for "In the Cut," Meg Ryan appeared on a talk show that was hosted by Parkinson. As reported by The Telegraph, during the interview, Ryan stated that "In the Cut" is a "debunking of the current Western romantic mythology" and argued that "Jane treats eroticism in an incredibly artful way." Meanwhile, Parkinson didn't even try to hide his true feelings, claiming that the movie was "a search for cynicism and disenchantment" and suggesting he didn't appreciate the nude scenes.

Parkinson then changed the topic and mentioned Ryan's divorce. He said, "There's a difference between you when you were doing those romantic comedies and now. You seem to be a much more wary person, and a slightly bruised person — and that would be due to your divorce, and that sort of thing? Do you imagine that you might, in the future — when you fully recover from all you've been through — that you might actually revert back to the person you were?" Ryan was clearly uncomfortable with this deeply personal question, glancing awkwardly at the three other talk show guests who sat beside her.

On the tension-filled stage, the actress stated that she hoped to "evolve" rather than "revert," clearly trying to brush past the question quickly. However, this uncomfortable exchange was just the start of the extremely awkward interview between Ryan and Parkinson.

As seen in the video below, Meg Ryan told Parkinson that it "doesn't come all that naturally" for her to be in the spotlight in front of an audience. Since she is a movie star, Parkinson suggested that she had a problem, which caused the audience to erupt in laughter while Ryan (potentially nervously) shook her head. The British interviewer then asked Ryan about her journalism education, which he suggested might be part of the reason she was "wary" of his questions.

Parkinson, noting that Ryan was wary of him, increased the friction between them even more. "You don't like being interviewed," Parkinson said, challenging her more. "You can see it in the way that you look, the way that you are." Parkinson then asked Ryan what she would do if she were him at that moment, to which she replied, "Wrap it up."

This interview was the final nail in the coffin for Meg Ryan's reputation as America's sweetheart. She had already experienced numerous controversies in her personal life and was facing criticism for the subject matter of "In the Cut," and now the general public accused her of being rude to Parkinson during the interview. While some people tried to defend the actress at the time, most people accused her of being distant and argued she didn't even try to have an engaging conversation with the talk show host.

Since many viewed her behavior during the interview as somewhat hostile, romantic comedy fans all over the world felt like they had been duped for the last decade-plus. With this interview, people felt like they had confirmation that Ryan was not anything like the charming, likable characters she played in her movies. Perhaps "In the Cut" was a more accurate depiction of her personality ... Now that the public had this perception of her, it became incredibly difficult for her to navigate the entertainment industry. In fact, this interview might mark the beginning of Ryan's Hollywood downfall.

Meanwhile, Parkinson was still viewed as a talented journalist after his awkward interview with Meg Ryan. The first episode of "Parkinson" aired in 1971. So, by the time Ryan had her controversial interview on the show in 2003, Parkinson had been a staple for British audiences for over three decades. In this time, the journalist and host interviewed the biggest celebrities and political figures in the world, such as Paul McCartney, David and Victoria Beckham, Muhammad Ali (who appeared on the show on three separate occasions), and thousands of others. Through amazing interviews with these guests and many others, Parkinson had built up immense trust with his audience.

This is precisely why most viewers defended him after his interview with Ryan. Sure, people loved Ryan as an actress, specifically in romantic comedies, but people have always been quick to call movie stars phony. Hosts like Parkinson, on the other hand, have a much more personal connection with their audience. Therefore, while this interview played a role in the downfall of Ryan's Hollywood career, Parkinson's career as a journalist remained unscathed, and he continued to host the talk show until his retirement in 2007.

While "Parkinson" continued to be a ratings hit in its final years, Meg Ryan stepped out of the spotlight and took a three-year hiatus from acting after the release of her critically panned 2004 movie "Against the Ropes." This movie and "In the Cut" marked two major failures in a row for Ryan, and the negative reactions to both of these films seemed to make her fall out of love with the industry she dominated in the late '80s and throughout the '90s. In an interview with The New York Times, Ryan admitted that she "wasn't as curious about acting as I was about other things that life can give you" after the release of "Against the Ropes."

She added, "I think the feeling with Hollywood was mutual. I felt done when they felt done, probably." Therefore, when she stopped getting cast in Hollywood productions after the disastrous release of "In the Cut" and the Parkinson interview, she didn't hesitate to step away from the industry altogether and focus on raising her two children: Jack Quaid, whom she had with Denis Quaid in 1992, and Daisy True Ryan, who she adopted in 2006.

After her three-year hiatus from Hollywood, Meg Ryan made an acting comeback in 2007 with the movie "In the Land of Women." In 2008 and 2009, she starred in four more movies: "The Deal," "My Mom's New Boyfriend," "The Women," and "Serious Moonlight." However, after this, she took yet another break from acting, this time lasting six years. After the release of "Serious Moonlight," it became clear that Ryan was not the draw she once was, and she stopped getting in major studio films altogether. The only two films she has appeared in since 2009 are ones she directed herself: 2015's "Ithaca" and 2023's "What Happens Later."

In an interview with People ahead of the release of "What Happens Later," Ryan said, "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." Clearly, as she grew older, Ryan shifted her priorities and was no longer as interested in her acting career.

However, it's worth noting that she has been cast in the movie "Good Sex," which will be directed by Lena Dunham and is currently scheduled to be released in 2027. Funny enough, Ryan will star in "Good Sex" with her "In the Cut" co-star Mark Ruffalo, which should lead to more people revisiting the misunderstood erotic thriller. Therefore, perhaps yet another acting comeback is on the horizon for Ryan.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, whether Meg Ryan was on an acting hiatus or not, Parkinson was consistently asked about her in interviews, and he never held back. The two had an exchange through the media in 2006 after the actress described Parkinson as a "disapproving father" and a "nut." In an interview with Marie Claire (via The Mirror), Ryan said, "I felt like he was berating me for being naked in the movie. He said something like: 'You should go back to doing what you were doing.' And I thought, are you like a disapproving dad right now? I'm not even related to you. Back off, buddy. I was so offended by him."

In response, Parkinson told The Mirror that Ryan was "the most boring bore I've ever met." He continued, "That's her opinion. She's welcome to it. I'm delighted — to be called a nut by her is a compliment." In 2016, ten years after this brief war of words, Parkinson attacked the actress once again in an interview. As reported by The Journal, Parkinson told Irish television presenter Miriam O'Callaghan that Ryan was rude to the guests he had on the show before her and described her as a "twerp." "I mean, she let herself down very badly. She was rude. She didn't want to come on," he said. "Russell Crowe had walked out on her so that didn't help her mood. And apart from which, she's one of those kind of actresses who had a neurotic."

Almost two decades after their awkward encounter, Parkinson finally accepted some of the blame for his tense interview with Meg Ryan. This was a surprising twist since he had consistently berated the actress in interviews throughout the 2000s and 2010s. However, speaking with Radio Times in 2021, he admitted that it was wrong of him to lose his temper with Ryan. Parkinson said, "I wish I hadn't lost my temper with Meg Ryan. I wish I'd dealt with it in a more courteous manner. I was quite obviously angry with her and it's not my business to be angry towards the guests. I came across as kind of pompous and I could have done better."

In the interview, Parkinson revealed that he would actually apologize to Ryan if he ever saw her again. However, he wasn't about to take all the blame for their awkward encounter. Hypothetically speaking to Ryan, he added, "You must understand that you played a part in it, too. Neither of us were on top form, and we were both discomforted." It's clear that Parkinson still had some sour feelings towards Ryan at this time, but after so many years, it was nice that he was finally able to accept at least some of the responsibility.

Meg Ryan never responded to Parkinson's much tamer 2021 comments about the interview. However, she did reflect on it while speaking with The Times of London in 2024. She said, "I thought it was so bad. In the States the talk shows have breaks every four minutes [for adverts], so I kept waiting for the break because I was gonna stand up and leave. But the break never came [because it was on the BBC]." When asked whether she spoke to Parkinson off-camera after the interview was over, the actress stated, "No, I left. I was like, wow, I didn't know who that guy was to begin with, and I don't have to think about him again."

Since Parkinson passed away in 2023, it seems like he and Ryan never properly settled their beef. Moving forward, there may be no reason for Ryan to ever comment on the interview again, especially since she clearly doesn't want to think about Parkinson. However, without a doubt, their 2003 encounter will live in infamy as one of the most awkward celebrity interviews of all time.