If we think about the best romantic comedies of the nineties, it is very likely that the first face that comes to mind is that of Julia Roberts. Immediately afterwards, however, she arrives: Me Ryan. The slanted smile, the unkempt bangs, that girl-next-door look that defined an entire generation raised on films like Harry, ti presento Sally, Insomnia in love e There’s mail for you.
Yet his career didn’t stop at New York coffee shops and “suspended” loves. With less luck, but with just as much determination, he explored different registers: from the military drama of The courage of the truth to erotic thriller In the Cutproving that her journey went far beyond the label of “America’s sweetheart.”
However, that very image, so iconic and crystallized in the Nineties, ended up transforming into a rigid parameter. Every change in his face was analyzed with the magnifying glassas if time shouldn’t pass for her too.
In 2023, during the screening of the documentary STILL: The Michael J. Fox Story and on the occasion of his return to cinema with Coincidences of lovethe debate on social media has reignited. Speculations about alleged aesthetic retouches have returned to circulate with insistence, fueling a chatter that the actress has chosen not to indulge.
In an interview with Glamour, Meg Ryan addressed the topic with clarity: “Our culture is obsessed with youth,” he said. He added: “Now that I’m older, I love my age. I like where I am. Getting older isn’t that scary. We all do it. I wish someone had told me before: ‘Relax, this is how it goes, don’t pay attention to the obstacles.’”
The industry that consecrated it in the Nineties also subjected it to constant control: every red carpet became an opportunity to compare a “before” and an “after”. When asked how she reacts to the most scathing comments about her appearance, she was blunt: “I can’t pay attention to it. I just can’t.” And again: “It’s not worth it. Sure, it may hurt someone, but there are much more interesting things to think about. Malice and hatred are so stupid.”
Perhaps part of the problem lies precisely in the collective memory. The public continues to associate her with a specific archetype: the Sally who fakes an orgasm in a New York diner or Annie waiting for a signal at the top of the Empire State Building. Characters that have become symbols of an era and, for this reason, almost impervious to time.
But time passes for everyone. And Meg Ryan is aware of this: “I love my age. I love my life the way it is now. I love who I am. I love the person I have become. I’ve been very combative in my life, but now I feel comfortable with things. I think this comes with age.” Then a reflection that sounds like a collective invitation: “We get trapped in conversations about appearance, hair color, roots. It’s fun for five minutes, but it’s not that interesting.”
Growing old, for Meg Ryan, is neither a defeat nor a taboo. It’s simply life that goes by. And perhaps, as she herself suggests, it’s time to stop being afraid of it.
