Here's Why Meg Ryan Took a "Giant Break" From Hollywood

While many of us have been celebrating the news of Meg Ryan’s return to the big screen ever since it was first announced back in September, the queen of rom-coms is now finally opening up about why she decided to take such a large hiatus from Hollywood in the first place.

In a new interview with People, the actress revealed that her desire to fully explore new areas of her life — like being a mother to her two children, Jack and Daisy — is what originally led her to step away from the industry in 2015.

“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,” she shared. “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.”

Ryan, whose last project was her directorial debut, Ithaca, is now preparing to get back to her roots by starring in the upcoming rom-com, What Happens Later, opposite David Duchovny. Based on Steven Dietz’s play Shooting Star, the film aims to capture the “cheeky magic of Ryan’s rom-coms of the '90s.”

“It came to me during lockdown,” Ryan said of being introduced to the project. “The essence of it is these two people who are stuck together. I just love that idea that we’re held in a space, even if it feels conflicted, maybe for reasons that heal them.”

What Happens Later hits theaters on Nov. 3.