There is no perfect time to rewatch an old Meg Ryan rom-com. Well, here’s the good news: the queen of romantic comedies is back, but this time she is pushing the boundaries as a director, exploring themes of regret and defying age. Yes, the 90s star continues to stay loyal to her signature genre despite the actors’ strike. She is equally captivating in front of and behind the camera in her upcoming film What Happens Later, where she also serves as both director and co-writer.
Based on the critically acclaimed Steven Dietz play Shooting Star, What Happens Later tells the story of a chance encounter between former couple Willa (Ryan) and Bill (David Duchovny) while they are stuck in an airport. In other words, the Bleecker Street film is about two ex-lovers who reunite at the airport after their flights are delayed and they spend the night reliving their past.
Meg Ryan Discussed Love, Aging, And Her Return To Rom-Coms
Meg Ryan, 61, is helming and starring in a new romantic comedy. And yet, here she is with What Happens Later, which opens in theaters this Friday and is an incredibly endearing film about a former couple who cross paths 25 years later. She told USA TODAY she was not drawn to the story because of their ages, but
“(Love) is endlessly interesting to me. People are trying to sort it out. We’re looking at people and asking quite often, ‘How are you doing it?’ That never stops. It doesn’t stop in your 20s.”
Eight years have passed since Ryan last appeared in a movie (Ithaca), and it has been 15 years since her last romantic comedy (My Mom’s New Boyfriend). Then she reappeared as if by magic, taking on the iconic roles of her favorite genre in her latest flick. There was an interim agreement with the Screen Actors Guild that permitted her and David Duchovny to discuss the film despite the actors’ strike.
Just like in What Happens Later, they joke around during the interview with USA TODAY, occasionally enhancing each other’s ideas. Ryan shared:
“(Love) makes the world go round forever, always. It’s the best thing we’ve got. So why not dig into that? It’s not exclusive to people at any moment in their lives. And it probably is an underserved audience − I don’t think there are very many movies about characters in their 50s finding love.”
Meg Ryan Explained Her Reason for Taking a ‘Giant Break’ From Hollywood
Meg Ryan is finally back on the big screen, eight years after her last picture, her directorial debut, Ithaca (2015). She is the director, star, and co-writer of her upcoming romantic comedy What Happens Later, which is about two ex-lovers who spend the night together at an airport because of snowfall. The actress told PEOPLE:
“It came to me during lockdown. 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.”
Ryan, who co-starred with David Duchovny, described the entire production as
“Magical. It’s a little roller-coaster ride between these two people, and it asks the question in a way: Will they or won’t they end up together? These are people who broke one another’s hearts way back when. And I think what they gained is that they have gratitude for that.”
Still, given her growing fame, why was she so keen to step back from the limelight? Ryan revealed:
“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. 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.”
The Bleecker Street film was rescheduled from its original release date of October 13, 2023, to November 3, 2023, to avoid conflicting with Taylor Swift’s concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.
What Happens Later is arriving in theaters on November 3.
