Ryan was allegedly "hugely in love" with Crowe on the set of his movie "Proof of Life," and her affair caused awkwardness among the film's cast and crew, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Actress Meg Ryan was involved in one of the biggest cheating scandals in Hollywood history with her partner actor Russell Crowe.
Ryan, who at the time was adored by audiences for her roles in romantic comedies such as "Sleepless in Seattle," was married to actor Dennis Quad when she began her affair with Crowe in 2000.
Ryan and Quaid married in 1991 and welcomed a son together in 1992, according to Amomama. Their marital problems came to a head when their split began in 2001, but before that, a bombshell hit the news that Ryan had left Quaid with co-star Crowe.
Sources said Ryan was "extremely in love" with co-star Crowe on the set of his movie "Proof of Life," and her affair was a source of major awkwardness between the film's cast and crew, according to the Mirror.
The outlet reported that Ryan skipped the film's promotional press tour to avoid being asked about the matter. Director Taylor Hackford even blamed media scrutiny for the film's failure at the box office. That's how Ryan really felt after her romance with Crowe caused a media storm.
Meg Ryan ended the drama with Russell Crowe
Meg Ryan faced a lot of public embarrassment after her affair with Russell Crowe hit the press.
Ryan spoke about a time when she was a laughingstock in the midst of drama in an interview with The Guardian in 2003. "It was at One Aldwych Hotel," she recalled. "This happened and I was in all the tabloids and I walked through the lobby and the place stopped. People stopped talking and stared at me."
Although it could have been an embarrassing situation, Ryan said that she ignored the incident. "And then I got to the elevator and instead of breaking down and going, 'Ooh,' I just started laughing," she said. "This thing that people are so afraid of all the time, public censure or disapproval, has no power if you know yourself."
Ryan also divulged her feelings about rising above the drama in a 2019 interview with The New York Times Magazine. "It's a real gift when you know you can never handle an image or a story and you stop worrying," she said. "I felt the effect, like I was the bad guy or whatever the story was. But I remember no longer having to correct someone."
Meg Ryan set the record straight about her divorce
Meg Ryan later revealed that her affair with Russell Crowe was not what broke up her marriage to Dennis Quaid. "[Crowe] was definitely there at the end, but it wasn't her fault," Ryan said in an interview with InStyle.
Ryan also set the record straight on news reports depicting her as a villain in the situation. "It was a great story," she told the magazine. "But what wasn't in the story was the reality of my marriage for nine years." Ryan exposed that Quaid had also been unfaithful during their time together. "Dennis wasn't faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful," she said. "I found out more about it once I got divorced."
In a 2018 interview with Megyn Kelly on "Today," Quaid called her marriage to Ryan "the most successful relationship of my life." The actor confessed that Ryan's stardom made him feel insecure during their relationship. "When we met, you know, I was the big deal," he explained. "...then we'd go out on the streets of New York and they'd be like, 'Meg, Meg!'" Quaid went on to say that Ryan's fame eclipsing his own made him feel like he was "disappearing." "I didn't think he was that small," he said, "but he was." Kelly responded, "It was a growth opportunity." Quaid agreed, adding, "I learned from it."
