Meg Ryan is opening up about her big break from Hollywood. In an interview with People, Ryan, a romantic comedy darling who starred in classics like When Harry Met Sally… and Sleepless in Seattle, revealed why she took an extended step back from acting late in her career. 

“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,” Ryan said. One of those areas was her role as mom to her two kids: actor Jack Quaid, 31, whom she shares with ex-husband Dennis Quaid, and daughter Daisy True, 18, whom she adopted in 2006.

Ryan is now getting back into Hollywood in a big way with her upcoming film, What Happens Later, which she directed and cowrote. She also stars opposite David Duchovny in the romantic comedy, which follows a pair of ex-lovers, Willa and Bill, who get snowed in together at a regional airport. What Happens Later is Ryan’s first film since she made her directorial debut with 2015’s Ithaca. It’s also her first romantic comedy in almost 15 years, since 2009’s Serious Moonlight. 

“It came to me during lockdown,” said Ryan of What Happens Later, which received an interim SAG-AFTRA agreement permitting publicity during the strike. “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.”  

In a conversation with Carol Burnett for Interview, Ryan expanded on the experience of wearing multiple hats on the set of What Happens Later. “Truly, the easiest part was acting in it,” she said. “I want to direct again just so I can sit in the chair, because I’m sure there’s a lot of things I missed.” 

Though she’s back in the limelight, Ryan seems to appreciate her time away and her new relationship with Hollywood. “It’s nice to think of it as a job and not a lifestyle,” Ryan said. “And that is a great way of navigating it for me.”