by Paul Fischer

Meg Ryan is not interested in talking about an image change, as she stars in the sexually provocative thriller In the Cut, from director Jane Campion. "This is not a conversation I am interested in, because you [the media] do that. I do not cultivate image, you know, that is your job," Ryan, says, almost defensively. "I know there are plenty of people whose job it is supposedly to do that, but I think an audience sees that, and they see an attempt at cultivation, and it seems so inauthentic. So my feeling is that I just do not believe in that. Obviously, the way you see yourself and how other people see you is entirely different. Everybody has that experience, only mine is weirdly amplified. I've been assigned an archetype and that's nothing I have raised my hand to have, although there are worse things to be called than 'America's Sweetheart,' right?" Ryan may hate talking self-image, but how can it be avoided, given her track record? "I've made 30 movies, seven of which are romantic comedies. So breaking out of something, not breaking out of something, it's just that I feel I'm being asked to react to something that I'm not really up to speed with, but I do understand the idea of being assigned a role."

Arriving at the Toronto Film Festival for the world premiere, Ryan, in a tight brown leather jacket, her blonde hair ruffled, is prepared to talk about the sex and nudity employed in Campion's adaptation of the Suzanne Moore novel. Ryan had to fight for the role after Nicole Kidman pulled out of the controversial project. If the actress was ever going to be concerned about the film's sexual content, she didn't care. "It was kind of a no brainer going ahead with it," Ryan tells us. "I thought something about the story was very familiar to me when I read the script." She admits it might have been a bit scary "but not that scary because Jane is great people. I knew I would be in great hands. I think that telling this kind of story is something I want to do."

In the psychological thriller, Ryan plays a lonely language teacher who becomes involved with a sexually aggressive and morally questionable cop played by Mark Ruffalo who, in turn, is on the trail of a violent serial killer. As in the Moore novel, the film treats sexuality with great candour. Perhaps Ryan would not have been as keen to be as sexually raw, had there been a male director at the helm? "It is just her. Generally, the way Jane treats the sexuality in her other movies is cool and interesting and not exploitive." Ryan says that she "loved the sex scenes in this movie, because they are really, really not coy, but truly honest." Ryan wants to downplay the film's sexuality, believing that the film's sex scenes "are the least shocking thing about the movie. I think the ideas are really big and beautiful and worth talking about more."