Matthew Ryan Phillippe (born September 10, 1974) was born in New Castle, Delaware, USA and is an actor, director and writer. After his stint as Billy Douglas on ABC's One Life to Live, he quickly rose to fame in the late 90s as a quintessential teen heartthrob after his casting in I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions.
After a slight lull in his career, he began to rise again after his supporting role as the partner of a Dirty Cop in the 2005-Best-Picture Crash. Soon to follow was his role in the critically-acclaimed war film Flags of Our Fathers directed by Clint Eastwood, which is regarded as one of his best performances.
Ryan Phillippe's notable works:
The '90s- One Life to Live
- Crimson Tide
- I Know What You Did Last Summer
- 54 (film about the Coolest Club Ever, Studio 54)
- Cruel Intentions
The '00s
The '10s
His career provides examples of:
- Dyeing for Your Art: Gained 25 lbs of muscle and stopped shaving for three months for The Way of the Gun.
- Fake Scot: Plays an apparently Scottish valet in Gosford Park with a questionable accent. He's really an undercover actor from Los Angeles.
-
He Really Can Act:- His performance in Flags of Our Fathers was met with critical acclaim, and called the best of his career.
- Similarly he was heaped with praise for his portrayal of a Shell-Shocked Veteran in Stop-Loss. The film's director protested his casting but was quickly won over.
- Mr. Fanservice: Arguably better known for his status as a Mr. Fanservice than anything else, especially in his movies from the '90s where he'd often be shirtless in multiple scenes and completely naked in more than a few.
- Older Than He Looks: Even in his late-30s to early-40s, he could probably still easily play any character in their mid or late 20s.
- Playing Against Type: Usually a tough guy or Deadpan Snarker in thrillers or action films, he stars in MacGruber - a parody of such films.
- Playing with Character Type: Playing his usual type of character...in the 1930s in Gosford Park.
- Romance on the Set:
- With his co-star Reese Witherspoon on Cruel Intentions. They were married for 9 years.
- Also with Abbie Cornish who he starred with in Stop-Loss.
- Star-Making Role: The one-two punches of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions put him on the map as a teen movie star in the late 90s.
- What Could Have Been:
- He auditioned for the role of Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones before the casting of Hayden Christensen. However, he was turned down due to being considered "too young" at the time.
- He screen-tested for Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before Chris Evans was cast.
- He was also approached for the part of Danny Rand in Iron Fist before the casting of Finn Jones.
