Meg Ryan photographed for first time in six months

The rom-com queen hasn’t acted since 2015 – but she made a rare public outing to show support for a very famous friend.

Hollywood actress Meg Ryan stepped out for a rare public appearance in New York this week, supporting friend Michael J. Fox at a screening of his new documentary.

It marked the first time Ryan, 61, had been photographed at a public event in more than six months.

The former rom-com queen, best known for starring roles in films like When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, lives a more quiet life outside of the spotlight these days.

Among friends, L-R: Bill Murray, Elvis Costello, Mark Seliger, Tracy Pollan, Joan Jett, Michael J Fox, Jane Pauley, Meg Ryan, Denis Leary, Katie Couric at a special screening of Fox’s film. Picture: Michael Simon/Shutterstock/Media Mode

In fact, she hasn’t appeared on screen since the 2015 film Ithaca, which she also directed. She is plotting a return to screens though, with Ryan starring in and directing the film What Happens Later, currently in production and set for release later this year.

L-R: Ryan with Ali Wentworth, Tracy Pollan with Fox’s daughter Schuyler Fox. Picture: Michael Simon/Shutterstock/Media Mode

Ryan was among a bevy of famous friends supporting J. Fox for the premiere of his doco – also in tow were stars including Bill Murray, Denis Leary, Joan Jett and Katie Couric.

The new doco explores Fox’s life as he lives with the incurable disease Parkinson’s.

Longtime friends: Meg Ryan, Michael J Fox and Tracy Pollan. Picture: Michael Simon/Shutterstock/Media Mode

In a heartbreaking recent interview to promote the doco, the eternally optimistic actor conceded that, at 61, life with the disease had become more difficult.

“I’m not gonna be 80,” he said. “It’s banging on the door.”

“I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher. Every day it’s tougher.”

An iconic scene: In When Harry met Sally.

Meg circa 2012. Picture: Frederick M. Brown/Getty

Meanwhile, Ryan has largely passed the acting torch this days to her son, The Boys star Jack Quaid.

He revealed in an interview with news.com.au last year that his famous mum refuses to watch the comic book adaptation TV show.

“I said, ‘Why’ and she was like, ‘You’re always in peril, it’s hard for me as a mother to see you in trouble and in peril all the time. You’re always on the verge of death’,” he said.

Meg in 2019 … she hasn’t acted since 2015, but a new movie’s on the way. Picture: AFP

In the 1997 film Addicted to Love.

Jack is one of two children Ryan had with ex-husband, actor Dennis Quaid.

They divorced in 2001, around the same time Ryan started a relationship with Russell Crowe when they starred together in the film Proof of Life.

More recently, Ryan had an on-again, off-again relationship with singer-songwriter John Mellencamp. They dated from 2010 to 2014, reconciling in 2017 and becoming engaged in 2018 – before splitting for good the following year.

Originally published as Meg Ryan photographed for first time in six months