Tuesday, 24 October 2006

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Ryan Phillippe: Mystery good for marriage

Actor likes to work away from actress wife Reese Witherspoon

Flags of Our Fathers star Ryan Phillippe hasn't worked with wife Reese Witherspoon since 1999's Cruel Intentions (they met on set), but, he says, it's better that way.

"Sometimes I think it's a little cleaner to, at least at this stage in our lives, keep that stuff separate," he tells Interview magazine in its new issue. "I'd never write anything off completely, but I just feel like there's something to be said for the individuality and mystery of doing things on your own."

Phillippe, 32, says he'll never get used to working away from Witherspoon and their kids Ava, 7, and Deacon, 3. "That's a difficulty that I don't know if I will ever totally come to terms with. But I think I commit sometimes even further to a role because it leaves me less time to think about those things that make me feel sad, like not being around my children."

Immersing himself in his role, he says, serves as "a shield or a protective blanket that keeps me from having to deal with the reality. If I can't see my kids, and I'm in another time zone, I really have to live and eat and breathe the work around the clock, because that keeps me sane."

The couple makes sure that if one parent is making a movie, the
other will remain at home with the kids. "That's one of the ways we keep the balance," Phillippe says.