Cruel Intentions wouldn't have been such a teen cult classic without the charged chemistry of its lead stars, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe. While they played boarding school lovers in the movie, the two actors were actually starting a family together. In 1997, the two met at Reese's 21st birthday party. A year later, they were engaged. Then she became pregnant with their first child, Ava who is now 21 years old.
Three months after Cruel Intentions premiered in 1999, they had a small wedding in Charleston, South Carolina. The Big Little Lies actress was six months pregnant. Four years later, they had their second child, Deacon, who's now 17. But after seven years of marriage, the two got divorced. Both actors have said that the only reason for the split was getting married at a young age. No hard feelings, it seems. So how's their relationship really like today?
They Continued Co-Parenting
When the ex-couple announced their divorce, they emphasized their commitment to their family and how they'd like to keep their privacy for the safety of their children. After the divorce, Reese and Ryan maintained a lowkey co-parenting arrangement to keep their children out of the media circus.
Ava and Deacon have a good relationship with their parents. They fairly spend time with both their parents. Ryan enjoys taking them on trips while Reese has been getting TikTok lessons from Deacon. How cute, right?
Ryan Is Happy Reese Remarried
"She’s happy and remarried and our kids are incredible. I’m proud of the way we handled it and who our little people are," Ryan told Larry King Now in 2015. The Legally Blonde star married top talent agent, Jim Toth in 2011. At 37, Reese had their son, Tennessee James. Jim also treats Reese's older children like his own.
Ryan has never married again but was briefly involved with Pitch Perfect star, Alexis Knapp with whom he has a daughter. Ryan was also got engaged with Paulian Slagter after an on-and-off, five-year relationship. The two called it quits in 2016. It was also rumored that Ryan had paid off his ex-fiance after she reported him to the police for allegedly harassing her via text messages.
They Remain Good Friends
When Larry King asked Ryan about his relationship with Reese, he said that they've certainly remained friends for the kids. For a while, fans believed that the ex-couple's heated co-presentation at the 2002 Oscars may have led to a bitter post-divorce relationship. "You make more than I do, go ahead," said Ryan when Reese asked if she could read the announcement of the winner.
Recently, Reese recalled that she hadn't expected him to say that. But Reese has always echoed Ryan's statements about their friendship. She's implied that they never blamed each other for the divorce and that they simply didn't know themselves enough when they got married. So the two have definitely remained good friends all these years.