Long before Jennifer Garner tried to win back Mark Ruffalo in 13 Going on 30 or Kate Hudson drove Matthew McConaughey crazy in How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, there was Meg Ryan. Ryan, who made her Hollywood debut back in the '70s, had always been an actress who seemed able to do it all.
She ventured into soap drama with a role in As the World Turns before joining Tom Cruise in the original Top Gun (she, along with several former co-stars, didn’t return for the sequel). But it wasn’t until she made her way to rom-coms that Ryan truly established herself as a Hollywood icon. Today, everyone still knows the actress for her starring roles in hit films such as When Harry Met Sally…, Sleepless in Seattle, City of Angels, When a Man Loves a Woman, You’ve Got Mail, and Kate & Leopold.
Years after the release of these movies, Ryan maintains an impressive net worth, but is she making royalties from earlier work?
How Much Money Is Meg Ryan Worth?
Current estimates indicate that Ryan is worth an astounding $85 to $90 million today. That figure is not exactly surprising considering that the actress had been making movies for several decades. And throughout her run, Ryan had been one of the highest-paid actresses of her time.
At the same time, it’s also worth noting that Ryan found herself another profitable venture in recent years. Away from prying eyes and Hollywood gossip, the actress has been making quite a name for herself in real estate.
As it turns out, Ryan has become a bit of a fixer-upper expert, buying properties and renovating them before selling them for a handsome profit. The Hollywood star has already done this several times in recent years and it seems, she doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.
Back in 2016, it was revealed that Ryan had already renovated nine homes since she got started. Among these are a couple of properties in New York City including a loft she scooped up from The Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria for a reported $8 million in 2014.
The idea of renovating and then selling homes is almost therapeutic for Ryan. Reflecting on her work as an actor, she told Architectural Digest that she was “so rarely in control.” In contrast, decorating gave her full control and she loved it. “It’s a chance for me to bring my vision into the world,” Ryan later added.
A few years later, Ryan was at it again as expected. After purchasing a home in the exclusive enclave of Montecito for $5 million in 2020, the Hollywood star quickly worked with design-build firm Becker Studios to renovate the place.
Around 18 months later, Ryan sold the home for $13.3 million, leaving her with an impressive estimated profit of about $8.3 million. Around the same time, the actress also offloaded her Chappaquiddick Island mansion and made a profit of around $3 million.
Clearly, she doesn’t need to keep making movies to earn millions.
Does Meg Ryan Get Royalties For When Harry Met Sally… And Sleepless In Seattle?
Years after the release of many of Ryan’s hit films, it is highly likely that the actress is still collecting residual checks from her works as this is mandated in actors’ SAG-AFTRA contracts. For films, residuals kick in once a movie is offered on DVD, cable, free television, pay television, or new media such as streamers.
Ever since the likes of Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, and HBO Max came onto the scene, it offered subscribers a chance to watch again or discover many of Ryan’s hit movies. And the moment they started to make her titles available, Ryan became automatically entitled to receive residual checks.
For films originally made for theatrical release and then released to streaming, residuals are supposedly due around four months after the movie’s streaming premiere and then quarterly after the producer receives its revenue (Ryan is attached as a producer on six movies, including the Jennifer Lopez hit rom-com, The Wedding Planner).
That said, residual checks are reportedly no longer as lucrative for talents and Hollywood crews as they used to be. In recent years, there has been a decline in the residual amount that the cast and crew are entitled to. And it’s not just TV shows that are taking a hit; films are likely affected just as badly.
So while Ryan continues to collect her checks, it seems that those earnings are not significant enough to even retire on.
What’s Meg Ryan Doing These Days?
Ryan may be staying out of the spotlight for the most part, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that she has moved on from acting completely. Much to fans’ delight, the veteran actress has agreed to return to rom-coms at least one more time.
In the upcoming film What Happens Later, Ryan and David Duchovny play ex-lovers who unexpectedly reunite when they are forced to stay overnight at an airport after getting snowed in. The movie also marks Ryan’s sophomore directing project after first helming the 2015 war drama Ithaca.
At the same time, the actress also serves as one of the film’s writers. It’s unclear if Ryan plans to take on other film projects after this.
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