Meg Ryan Recalls Seeing Son Jack Quaid Act in a Middle School Play and Realizing His Talent: 'I Just Knew'

The proud mom has been elated by and worried for her son's journey in acting

Meg Ryan is proud of her son's talents as an actor.

The Sleepless in Seattle actress appears on the cover of the December 2023 issue of Glamour, where she recalls the moment she knew her son, 31-year-old Jack Quaid, might follow in his parents' footsteps in the industry.

"I remember seeing him in a middle school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He was playing Bottom. I was newly divorced from his dad, and he was seated at the other side of the gym," she said of ex Dennis Quaid.

"I had my head in my hands and was like, 'Oh, no. He’s good. He’s really good,’” she recalls. “I leaned forward, and I see Dennis, and he’s also leaning forward with his head in his hands. I just knew.”

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Related: Meg Ryan’s 2 Kids: All About Jack Quaid and Daisy True Ryan

Ryan says that she often worried about the downsides of life in the public eye as she watched Jack follow his path — in part, because of her own experiences and in part, because he was going at it as the child of two notable actors.

"You don’t wish it [on anyone]. It’s too hard and it’s too weird," Ryan says. "Jack is really talented. He’s more of a natural than I’ll ever be. That nepo stuff is so dismissive of his work ethic, his gifts, and how sensitive he is to the idea of his privilege.”

In addition to Jack, Ryan is mom to daughter Daisy, who she adopted as a single mom in 2006.

Speaking with PEOPLE last year, Jack said his parents have been pretty hands-off when it comes to chiming in on his acting choices.

"They don't really give me advice," the Scream actor shared at the time. "I've never asked them, 'How should I perform this scene?'"

"The way that this business works is so much different than the way that it worked back then for them," he added.

While he doesn't get advice, the actor was clear that he does have support beyond what he could've anticipated.

"It's lucky that I got to grow up saying, 'Hey I want to be an actor' and they understood that," Jack said. "I didn't grow up in a house that didn't quite understand what that meant or a house that would tell me, 'Oh, that probably isn't the wisest choice. You should have a backup plan.' Like, I had the privilege and I was lucky to have people that understood what that meant and supported me going into it."

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