Actor Ryan Phillippe has made rare comments about his children, speaking about their career choices and how he has navigated life as a father in the public eye. Phillippe shares two children with his former wife and “Cruel Intentions” co-star Reese Witherspoon in the form of 26-year-old Ava and 22-year-old Deacon.
Ryan Phillippe Discusses Life as a Father
GettySpeaking to E! Online, the former soap actor who famously appeared in “One Life to Live” in the 1990s gave some insight into life as a father and explained how he feels about the career choices of his children.
He opened by saying how proud he was of his children. “My ex-wife and I are blessed with kids who have [an] incredible sense of self,” Phillippe said before adding, “and also are incredibly conscientious and very academically driven—intelligent. So, they make really good choices.”
Ava and Deacon’s nature has allowed Phillippe and Witherspoon to act as “sounding boards” for them, providing advice that they know will not be blindly followed. “It’s nice to offer your experience to them and to let them know what you’ve been through and to guide them that way.”
Growing up with famous parents has meant that the two, alongside his other daughter Kai Knapp that he shares with ex-partner Alexis Knapp, have had a front row seat to the world of Hollywood. However, he is interested to see what they might do as actors if they continue to follow in their parents’ footsteps.
“It’s cool to have had so much experience, to see them entering a space that you’ve inhabited and to be able to offer guidance.”
“The fact that they grew up seeing the good and bad effects that it has had on Mom and Dad is important, so they know that it’s not always easy or comfortable.”
Ryan Phillippe Reveals the Good and Bad of Being a Parent
Phillipe also explained that he is thankful his children have never focused too much on social media. He said, “They kind of have more diverse interests, and that’s comforting because that can be a real detriment for a lot of young people.”
The actor joked that the teenage years weren’t always the most enjoyable but he is very happy to have a strong relationship with his children as adults. “The early teenage years—those were not my favorite,” he said. “My son feels like my best friend. Yes, I’m still a father and he regards me as such, but we also have so many similar interests in music and comedy, and we share all of those things.”
“We have these really in-depth conversations about world affairs,” he added, “and it’s really special to be able to have that.”
