by Paul Fischer

When Meg Ryan was doing press for her controversial In the Cut during last year’s Toronto Film Festival, it would be fair to say she was defensive, moody, unwilling to be drawn into the film’s sexual material. What a difference four months makes. Not that she was willing to give too much away, but at least she was sweetly charming, smiling politely on cue, in talking about the very different Against the Ropes. Perhaps she was relieved there was no graphic nudity and sex to discuss, nothing but the world of boxing. "It was really fun. I’m surprised that I like it," Ryan confesses. "I really didn’t think that I was going to become a fan, but I think it had to do with the fact that I had a great tutor who has an outrageous passion for it," she says, referring to Jackie Kallen, the outspoken boxing promoter whose life story is fictionalized to a large extent in this movie. "It turned out that as soon as you know the stories, as soon as you start understanding the techniques, then you get emotionally involved with the people who are out there. Beyond that, it’s just something about how pure and honest it is."

Once Ryan began to soak up the boxing she was hooked. "At first it was really hard to watch. There’s something honest about saying 'no' to this kind of aggression and violence, which is part of human nature. You’re very simply and purely expressed in this part." Ryan, who also loves photography, found herself capturing the sport on film, in all of its poetic motion, using "really high speed black and white film and available light, that really, really strong top light that comes down on this beautiful body."

Not only is it Kallen’s story in Against the Ropes, but also a film that explores the nature of celebrity. As Kallen’s fame grew, so did her ego. Ryan offered this observation when asked to comment on the parallels that existed in her own life. "I mean the spotlight’s the thing that you never know how you’re going to react to, you know? I mean nothing’s predictable about it." Ryan has been in the spotlight for over a decade, trying to shun the pretty girl-next-door image as exemplified in the romantic comedies that made her a true Hollywood icon. Every time we broach this subject she blames the media for perpetuating a specific image of her. "I get in these rooms and you (journalists) all say that. But I've done so many different kinds of things for so long -- and the romantic comedies are the ones that people see or make money and that's great. But I've done different things for a long time."

Perhaps that is why she was more than keen to step into the role vacated by Nicole Kidman, in Jane Campion’s In the Cut, which has just been released on DVD in an unrated version. The film received largely savage reviews, and Ryan was visibly annoyed when promoting the film, but the actress says she has no regrets. "That movie was one of the premier experiences of my life. Being around Jane Campion and working on that film, I think, changed me so utterly as an artist." As for the mixed response? "What are you going to do? It was never a movie that was for everybody. No one ever made it to be a blockbuster. It's a personal movie that we made for $7 million on the streets of New York with great actors, a great director and an interesting character. So it was a fantastic experience!"

As for playing the sexy, but fully clothed Kallen, Ryan had a blast. "It's very different from anything I've done. I'm an actor and I like to do different things. I thought it would be really fun. I'm curious about the arc of the character."

Next up, Ryan confirmed, is a key role in Papa, starring Anthony Hopkins as Ernest Hemingway. No romantic comedy here either, and another change of image for the diverse Ms Ryan.