From left: Jack Quaid, Meg Ryan and Daisy True.Photo:Jamie McCarthy/WireImage; Kristy Sparow/WireImage; Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty
Jamie McCarthy/WireImage; Kristy Sparow/WireImage; Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty
Meg Ryanis opening up about motherhood, and sharing how being a parent of two has been a joyful experience.
“I have two of the greatest kids,” Ryan, 61, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story aboutJack Quaid, her 31-year-old son with ex-husbandDennis Quaid, and her daughter Daisy True Ryan, 18. “They’re just a blast. It is just a true joy.”
She adds, “It is a joy to me to know both of them.”
Of course, getting there required a “fundamental shift,” withlongtime actress, director and produceracknowledging that becoming a mother “instantly makes you not the most important person in the room.”
Ryan — who makes her anticipated return to the screen as the star, director and co-writer ofWhat Happens Later— also likens the act of raising her kids to being a host. “I just feel like, ‘Have I been a good host?’ " she says when asked how she would describe herself as a mother, before asking herself, “Are they inspired? Are they happy? Are they safe?”
While Ryan notes that “each of them are so different,” she adds that both Jack and Daisy True “are hilarious, they’re smart, they are kind, they’re interested in other people, they’re curious about the world.”
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Jack Quaid, Meg Ryan, and Daisy True.James Devaney/Getty ; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis/Getty
James Devaney/Getty ; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis/Getty
The mom also proudly states: “I feel like both of them make the world a little better, and I just feel so proud of them . . . I’m so proud of both.”
Jack is also the star of Prime Video’sThe Boysand lends his voice toStar Trek: Lower Deckson Paramount+.
“He’s just in it for all the right reasons. He’s somebody who just loves what he does and obviously, he’s somebody who knows that he’s privileged and he’s also somebody who works so hard,” Ryan tells PEOPLE of Jack’s accomplishments within the industry, adding that “he’s worked really, really, really hard” to get where he is now.
“I am just so proud of how sensible he is, how ethical he is, how fun he is — and I just knew early on he was somebody I would have to share. He’s just fantastic,” she continues.
Jack Quaid and Meg Ryan in 2011.Ignat/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Ignat/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Daisy True, meanwhile, “started college this year,” shares Ryan, who also admits to “visit[ing] probably more than I should” and making hours-long drives just for short reunions withher daughteron her college campus. One time, “she could only have coffee,” the mom recalls, “And I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll have some coffee.'”
When it comes to raising her daughter, Ryan admits to being a little strict. In fact, Daisy True “didn’t have a phone until she was 15.” Because of that, the actress says, “She really is somebody who has a lot of different interests and she’s a great reader and she, at least, has a memory of the phone not being everything.”
Aside from “trying to be casual” as she adjusts to Daisy True being on her own for the first time, Ryan says it’s great to see both of her kids flourish. “They’re so engaged and happy, it’s great,” she notes, before explaining that it’s an achievement to see them both at this point. “If you do it right, they leave.”
And with them gone, Ryan has turned being an empty nester into a time of productivity. “Well, I’ve been busy,” she quips when asked how she’s handling this stage in motherhood.
Meg Ryan and Daisy True.Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
While 2015 marked the last time fans have seen Ryan onscreen, with roles inIthacaas well as the ABC family movie,Fan Girl, she’s closing that eight-year gap withher comeback movie,What Happens Later.
Set for a theatrical release on Nov. 3, the rom-com has been several years in the making, with Ryan not intending to co-write the movie — or even star in it. “It just kept evolving,” she tells PEOPLE now, before admitting: “There’s something that just had to be made. The movie had to be made.”
For more of Ryan’s exclusive interview, pick up this week’s issue ofPEOPLE.
source: people.com
