Dennis Quaid finally reveals the truth behind his shocking breakup with America's sweetheart Meg Ryan
Eighteen years after their split, Dennis Quaid admits that he felt completely overshadowed by Meg Ryan and her fame whilst they were married. The 64-year-old actor and Meg Ryan fell in love while they were filming the movie D.O.A in the year 1988 and eventually tied the knot in the year 1991.
Quaid appeared on 'Megyn Kelly TODAY' and was asked about his former co-stars when Ryan's name came up. The couple went on to separate in the year 2000 after they welcomed their son Jack Quaid in the year 1992. Even though their marriage ended almost two decades ago, Quaid said that Ryan was "the most successful relationship of my life".
"When we met I was the big deal. We’d go out on the streets of New York and it would be like, ‘Meg! Meg!’ And I have to admit it, I actually did feel like I disappeared. I didn’t think I was that small, but I was. It was a growth opportunity — I learned from that," he shared before adding that his career stalled while hers skyrocketed in the 90s.
During the course of the interview, he also addressed his past cocaine addiction and revealed to Kelly that he grew up in the 60s and 70s when "there was a completely different attitude" and the cocaine use was absolutely normal. "It was even in some movie budgets. I was basically doing cocaine pretty much on a daily basis during the ’80s," he admitted.
"I spent many, many a night screaming at god to ‘Please take this away from me and I’ll never do it again, cause I’ve only got an hour before I have to be at work," he went on to add. "Then at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, I’d go, Oh it’s not so bad," he shared. The actor also spoke about the time when he decided to get help after having a vision of what his life would look like if he continued.
"I had what I call a white light experience where I saw myself either dead or losing everything that meant anything to me," he revealed. "That was the end of the love affair with me and cocaine. I spent many, many a night screaming at God to please take this away from me. [I said], 'I’ll never do it again because I’ve only got an hour before I have to be at work. At about four o’clock in the afternoon, I would go, 'That’s not so bad'," he continued.
Quaid eventually checked himself into rehab but that ultimately wore down on his relationship with Meg Ryan. Quaid is currently dating a Latvian model Santa Auzina. He finalized his divorce to his third wife Kimberly this year. In the 90s, Meg Ryan made people believe in happy endings and inspired many young women to pursue and choose love. She soon became the ideal girlfriend who men fell in love with.
Her roles in movies such as 'Sleepless in Seattle', 'You've Got Mail' or 'When Harry Met Sally', led her to become America's sweetheart. However, that innocent and loving image changed soon after rumors of her cheating on her husband Dennis Quaid hit headlines. Many reports came in that she was having an affair with Russel Crowe on the sets of 'Proof of Life' in the year 2000.
While at the Goop In Health Summit, Meg told Gwenyth Paltrow, "You know, I never wanted to be an actress. The whole idea of being a famous person, the whole thing, I felt like a witness to. I didn't feel exactly in it. And I think that was a really good thing. Because I felt like a student of it in a way, that I was watching it [unfold] in an anthropological way".
"When you get labeled anything, like America's Sweetheart — I didn't even know what that meant," she continued. "It doesn't necessarily imply that you're smart or sexual or complicated or anything. It's a label. And what can a label do but guess at you?" she added. Meg's downfall was quick and swift she went from being seen as America's sweetheart to a scarlet woman.
What did not help her at all was the fact that her divorce came around the same time as well. In the year 2001, Meg and Dennis ended their decade-long marriage after her affair with Crowe. Unfortunately for her, she became the woman who wrecked her marriage as Dennis was able to earn a lot of sympathy from fans for being cheated on.
In a couple of years post her divorce, Meg was not able to get a major role in anything and no one would cast her as the romantic lead anymore. The signal was loud and clear, Meg couldn't go back to being the woman who encouraged love. In late 2000, she took on guest appearances on TV shows such as 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'Web Therapy' where she clearly looked different sparking botox rumors.
With her new and altered face, she only grew farther apart from the sweet, cute image she once had. She never addressed the rumors of plastic surgery which put a huge wall between her and her fans. Now, she rarely makes any sort of public appearances.