Meg Ryan's has been acting since the early '80s. Her resume should make her one of the most sought after actresses in the world. That has not necessarily turned out to be the case, with factors such as ageism and a poor relationship turning her into somewhat of a Hollywood outcast.
She also now appears to be more focused on supporting her 29-year-old actor son, Jack Quaid's own acting career. Jack was one of the stars in the 2015 drama Ithaca, which also happened to be her first as a director.
Ryan also starred in the film, in what would turn out to be her last appearance on the big screen since. While the When Harry Met Sally star is yet to officially retire, this recent fallow period of her career is a far cry from the days when she was ruling the industry as one of its biggest stars.
It is during that heyday that she made for a very memorable moment on the BBC talk show, Parkinson. Host Michael Parkinson had been pummeling her with questions that made her visibly uncomfortable, until she eventually had enough, and asked him to 'wrap it up.'
Michael Parkinson Grilled Meg Ryan
In the early 2000s, Ryan made a departure from her typical kind of roles when she agreed to star in Jane Campion's psychological thriller, In the Cut. In the film, the actress - for the first time in her career - featured in a graphic, and lengthy nude scene. This would end up attracting the wrong kind of press.
Although the movie has come to receive a reevaluation of perspective in more recent years, it was mostly panned at the time. It did not quite flop at the box office, but only managed to gross a total of nearly $24 million from theaters around the world.
It was in the process of promoting this film that Ryan featured in an episode of Parkinson back in 2003. The general format of the talk show involved multiple guests conversing simultaneously, much like onThe Graham Norton Show today.
This structure notwithstanding, Parkinson appeared to focus for a while on Ryan alone, as he grilled the actress on her apparent lack of passion for acting.
Meg Ryan And Michael Parkinson's Awkward Exchange
The exchange between Ryan and Parkinson was pretty awkward from the very beginning. "You said once that that acting was not in your nature," the host posed to the actress, who stayed silent for a short while, before then retorting, "I did?"
Instead of deescalating the tension that was already building, Parkinson doubled down in what was now starting to sound like a confrontation. "Are you denying that you said that?" he pressed. Ryan on her part presented a calculated response, telling him that it did sound like something that she would say.
The Golden Globe-nominated actress then went ahead to clarify what she might have meant with such words, as she explained what she deemed to be a complicated relationship she had had with stardom. "I think what I meant was that it always feels very awkward for me to be in front of an audience or in the spotlight," she said. "It doesn't come all that naturally."
This very heartfelt answer did not provoke any sense of empathy from Parkinson. Instead, he continued to push Ryan's buttons.
Michael Parkinson Was Combative As He Questioned Meg Ryan
Ryan was adamant that she did in fact enjoy her work, and explained that it was the celebrity that came with it which made her uncomfortable. Still, Parkinson remained combative with his line of questioning.
"Now that you're wary of journalists, does it give you an insight into what they're after?" the English broadcaster asked. Once again, Ryan looked completely puzzled. "Now that I'm wary of them?" she countered, to which Parkinson said: "I can see it in the way you sit, the way you are."
As the perplexed Ryan stuttered to find an answer, Parkinson went on, "If you were me, what would you do now?" The actress found her opening to eventually shut him down, and quipped: "Well, just wrap it up!"
Ryan would later refer to the male journalist as a 'nut' who behaved like 'a disapproving dad.' The word 'mansplaining' had not yet been invented in those days, but it might have otherwise defined the entire encounter perfectly.
It is not all men that Ryan has such issues with, however, as she enjoys a great relationship with her frequent collaborator, Tom Hanks. Parkinson retired from his show in June 2007.
