Meg Ryan Shares Rare Update on Her 20-Year-Old Daughter Daisy

Meg Ryan

is providing a rare glimpse into her special bond with daughter Daisy, 20.

“I always thought I’d adopt, and at various points I was on the brink of it,” Ryan, 63, told The Sunday Times in an interview published Sunday, December 15. “But it was particular to Daisy, I guess. I don’t know how events conspired to bring us together, but it was perfect.”

Ryan adopted Daisy, from China in 2006 as a single parent. Prior to that, the actress welcomed a son, Jack, with her ex-husband Dennis Quaid, in April 1992.

In her latest interview, Ryan said her daughter is far away from Hollywood, attending college on the East Coast.

“I’m a total anglophile and have this little London dream of living there one day,” she said about the British metropolis. “My daughter, she’s doing English literature at college here [near New York City], but she’s hoping to study in Bath one day.”

According to The Sunday Times, questions about Ryan’s son, now a working actor who’s starred in The Boys and more, were off limits. She has previously tried to protect him from the public criticism that comes with being a celebrity.

“You don’t wish it [on anyone]. It’s too hard and it’s too weird,” Ryan said in a 2023 interview with Glamour. “Jack is really talented. He’s more of a natural than I’ll ever be.”

She also addressed ongoing discussions about nepo babies, a term used to describe a child of a celebrity who has gone on to become famous thanks to their parents’ names rather than their own talent.

“That nepo stuff is so dismissive of his work ethic, his gifts and how sensitive he is to the idea of his privilege,” Ryan previously shared.

Despite her success in Hollywood with unforgettable roles in You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally, Ryan tries not to view herself as an actual celebrity.

After all, becoming famous was never part of her plan.

“The fame thing has long been a condition of my life, and it’s very surprising if you’re not identifying as a famous person,” she said. “Nora [Ephron] said to me, ‘Just relax about the fame thing. It’s gonna come and go, but it’s not a defining thing like your kids are life-defining.’”

Another helpful piece of advice Ryan received from Ephron (the late, beloved screenwriter behind Ryan’s three classic romcoms) came in the form of what projects to take on.

“She said, ‘Meg, it’s more important what you say no to than what you say yes to,’” Ryan recalled. “And she was right.”