The one thing Meg Ryan hates about Hollywood: “Then you suffer the consequences”
There’s a whole subsection of romantic comedies that belong to Meg Ryan, with the term ‘Meg Ryan rom-com’ immediately bringing to mind cosy interiors, sleek outfits, will-they-won’t-they relationships, and New York City. The actor has starred in a handful of beloved romance movies since the late 1980s, most notably When Harry Met Sally… a perfect rom-com that spans years as Ryan and Billy Crystal find themselves unable to shake their affection for one another.
The movie – directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron, whom Ryan would collaborate with several other times – was a hit, and it remains one of the most quintessential entries into the rom-com canon, standing alongside other classics of the genre like Roman Holiday or Annie Hall. These films are basically the gold standard of rom-coms, against which all subsequent romantic movies are measured, but luckily for Ryan, her later roles in rom-coms like Sleepless in Seattle or You’ve Got Mail passed the test pretty well.
As far as 1990s rom-coms go, these two are up there as some of the most coveted, and the fact that Ryan was able to star in a string of top-tier rom-coms consistently cemented her as a queen of the genre. Yet, this is a title that the actor hasn’t always loved; after all, she has appeared in a lot more than rom-coms. From roles in Top Gun and The Doors to Flesh and Bone and Courage Under Fire, Ryan has tried her hand at thrillers, historical dramas, and biopics – these roles just haven’t been as memorable for her.
After starring in several rom-coms, Ryan soon became aware that she might have pigeonholed herself into a certain stereotype that she wanted to release herself from. Thus, in 2003, she appeared in Jane Campion’s In The Cut, which saw her appear nude as her character embarks on an erotically charged affair with a detective. This performance shocked many people, with certain viewers feeling as though the image they had crafted of Ryan in their heads was disintegrating in front of their eyes.
“There’s this play put on by the zeitgeist, and I’ve got a role. There’s this archetype that’s been assigned to me, nothing I’ve constructed. But if you betray the archetype, then you suffer the consequences,” she revealed in an interview with The Guardian. However, upon taking on the role in Campion’s film, she found a sense of release from these cinematic shackles.
“I was really able to distinguish between that and me,” she added. “And what it’s given me is this completely great freedom. I really don’t care. People can write whatever they want, say whatever they want and I don’t care.”
The movie was meant to star Nicole Kidman, but after personal issues prevented her from committing to filming, Ryan boldly stepped into the role. In The Cut received mixed reviews, although much of the discussion surrounding the film was about Ryan’s choice to star in a movie so far removed from the wholesome rom-coms she’d become well-known for. Despite the backlash and the film’s failure, she realised that there was liberation to be found in playing other ‘against-type’ roles.
