Hollywood star Meg Ryan shows her steamier side in her latest film, In The Cut, playing a writing teacher who becomes entangled in an affair with a kinky cop investigating a string of grisly murders.
The actress, who turned out in a black strapless gown at the film's Beverly Hills premiere on Thursday, is consciously taking her career in a different direction after finding box office success with romantic comedies such as When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless In Seattle. "I've been waiting for something like this for a long time," says Meg, who got the opportunity to play the gritty, sexually-charged role after a red-hot star, Nicole Kidman, dropped out.
Director Jane Campion admits the iconic blonde wasn't exactly "one of the ones I would have been fishing for" when it came time to re-cast the role. But Meg was ready to do whatever was necessary to score the part, auditioning like anyone else. "That was fine with me," she says. "I just really wanted to meet Jane."
And it seems that co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh is also among the star's newfound fans, calling her performance "shockingly good". Mark Ruffalo, the actor who shares her explicit scenes, was perfectly aware of the effect the flick would have on Meg's changing image. "To be talking dirty to America's sweetheart," he says, "you're really playing with something iconoclastic."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
