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Ryan Phillippe opened up about “craving” a relationship with God after embarking on a “spiritual journey” following the filming of his latest movie.
In the new action thriller “Prey,” the 49-year-old actor played a Christian missionary who has a crisis of faith when he finds himself in mortal danger.
During his interview with Fox News Digital, Phillippe, who was raised in a religious household, shared that his own faith is “incredibly” important to him.
“And it grows even more, every day,” Phillippe said.
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Ryan Phillippe opened up about “craving” a relationship with God after filming his latest movie “Prey.” (Kelly Lee Barrett/Getty Images)
He continued, “I have a firm and fervent belief in God and that things happen for a reason and that we should put positive energies out into the world and treat people with respect and spread as much love and light as we can to offset the darkness that we see around us everywhere.”
“I spent a lot of time in prayer and studying things of that nature I find very fulfilling,” Phillippe added. “I feel like it’s the most important thing that you could spend your time thinking about or learning about or trying to understand. So it’s become a very, very important part of my life.”
Phillippe told Fox News Digital that he became more committed to his faith and his relationship with God after production wrapped on “Prey.”
WATCH: Ryan Phillippe on how his faith is ‘incredibly’ important to him
“It’s interesting because I was kind of in a darker place when we filmed this, and it was right after filming it where I went on this spiritual journey where I started going really deep inside,” he recalled.
“I got back into reading the Bible and various other religious tomes, but I found myself drawn to this notion of spirituality,” Phillippe continued. “You get to a point in life, a certain age, and the things that you thought would bring you pleasure or make you feel satisfied – these would be success or money – and it doesn’t. It doesn’t.”
“I wanted to have a relationship and understanding with God, and I was craving that.”
“And so you look for more,” he said. “And I’m so thankful for what I’ve been given and for the experiences that I’ve had and for my children and everything else. But I wanted to have a relationship and understanding with God, and I was craving that.”
“And I’ve got to tell you, since I started that journey, I have not been more at peace. My depression is gone,” Phillippe added. “I shedded addictions so I’m a big proponent for people going inward and trying to understand those aspects of life.”
Directed by South African filmmaker Mukunda Michael Dewil, “Prey” stars Phillippe and Mena Suvari as a couple who are “compelled to leave their Christian missionary station in the Kalahari Desert after being threatened with death by an extremist militant gang,” per a logline for the film.
“But when their aircraft crashes in an animal preserve, they must battle man and beast in a fight for their lives.”
Phillippe told Fox News Digital that the project required “little preparation in some ways” because it was centered on a “simple concept.”
“It’s a compelling concept,” he explained. “It’s the kind of thing that you think to yourself, ‘What if this happened to me?’”
The Delaware native noted that “Prey” was a “survival story” and it was easy for him to see himself in his character’s situation.
“Imagine [you’re] on a plane that crashes in Africa. Nobody knows you’re there and where you are is a reserve for big game, and it’s only a matter of time till they smell you, and they’re hungry,” he said. “To me, it was a very simple concept that way that just grabbed me from the jump.”
Phillippe told Fox News Digital that the role also appealed to him due to his character’s struggle with doubts over his faith in the midst of his dire circumstances.
“I also really dug that there was this spiritual thread through this story, certainly with my character questioning God and questioning the fairness of things and surrendering and getting ultimately to this numb place of just saying, ‘If there is a God, save me.’ If not, I’m going to be eaten by this lion and whatever happens, happens,” he said.
“I think a lot of us find ourselves at places in our lives where we question those things, or we challenge those things,” Phillippe added. “And that resonated with me.”
Phillippe said his faith is “incredibly” important to him. (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Phillippe told Fox News Digital that he thought audiences would be drawn to “Prey” because of the film’s harrowing plot and fast pace, describing it as a “90-minute breakneck thrill ride.”
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“It flies by from the moment we get on the move,” Phillippe said. “It’s pretty relentless that way. I think there is an audience that loves survival movies, which I do, too. And it’s like man versus nature.”
“And it’s like, ‘What do you have?’” he continued. “‘What is the mettle of yourself, of your being?’ Like, ‘How do you survive in an unsurvivable situation?’ And you know we won’t give away who does or doesn’t survive. Not very many do.”
“But I think from that standpoint, it’s just curiosity. What I think an audience will find themselves thinking during ‘Prey’ is, ‘What if this happened to me?’ And I think that’s a really compelling way in for someone.”
Phillippe and Witherspoon were married from 1998 to 2008. (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Phillippe reflected on his “easy” co-parenting relationship with his ex-wife Reese Witherspoon.
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The former couple, who were married from 1999 to 2008, are parents to daughter Eva, 24, and son Deacon, 20.
Phillippe shared his thoughts on whether parenting alongside Witherspoon, has become less challenging as their children have grown older.
WATCH: Ryan Phillippe explains how he and ex-wife Reese Witherspoon have set ‘good examples’ for their children
“Yes and no,” the “Crash” star said. “We never really had a hard time of it. We were always both so devoted, even once we were no longer together.”
Phillipe continued, “That made it easy. They were the priority. And you see a lot of times in these messy situations where that’s not the case, where the kids will be used as pawns or as a way to hurt the other parent, and we never did any of that stuff.”
“But she and I have a friendship, and we still have calls about various things in their lives, and it works out nice.”
“We never spoke ill of each other,” he added. “And we were always united in support of them, and now they’re both adults.
“But she and I have a friendship, and we still have calls about various things in their lives, and it works out nice.”
Phillippe and Witherspoon share daughter Ava and son Deacon. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Fanatics)
During a 2021 appearance on the E! talk show “Daily Pop,” Ava shared that she hadn’t yet decided on a career path though acting wasn’t “out of the question.” While attending the University of California, Berkeley, Ava launched her modeling career and has appeared in campaigns for Beyoncé’s brand Ivy Park, Rodarte and Pat McGrath Labs.
Deacon is currently studying music at New York University. In April 2023, he released his debut album “A New Earth.” Deacon is also following in his parents’ footsteps by pursuing a career in acting. In 2022, he made his debut as an actor in the Netflix series “Never Have I Ever.”
Phillippe also shared the advice that he has given his children about navigating careers in Hollywood. The actor is also father to daughter Kai, 12, who he shares with his ex-girlfriend Alexis Knapp. Witherspoon shares son Tennessee, 11, with her ex-husband Jim Toth.
“The Lincoln Lawyer” star said he believed he and Witherspoon had set “pretty good examples” for Ava and Deacon.
Ava launched a modeling career while attending UC Berkeley. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Sarah Chloe Jewelry)
“They’ve seen how their mother and I have done it, how we’ve treated people, how we’ve tried to stay true to ourselves, how, we haven’t let us let it affect us in an intensely negative way,” he explained. “We haven’t made it the end all, be all of our lives.”
Phillippe continued, “There’s much more to life than than Hollywood or entertainment, clearly. I always tell people that I work to live, not live to work. I’m not defined by this industry. I enjoy it, I have passion for it, I respect it, but there are so many other things that fill my senses and draw my attention.”
WATCH: Ryan Phillippe says he and ex-wife Reese Witherspoon have an ‘easy’ co-parenting relationship
“Ultimately, you want your kids to be happy,” he added. “You want them to be true to themselves. You want them to develop a confidence. That doesn’t mean it’s obnoxious or brash, but to know who they are, and to not waver from that because there’s no need to.”
“Everyone is lost in a sense. The judgment of others means less and less to me as I get older. Everyone’s trying to figure things out. Everyone’s on their own path. So just kind of reinforcing those ideas, I think is part of it.”
Phillippe and Witherspoon co-starred in the hit 1999 movie “Cruel Intentions.” (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images)
Phillippe and Witherspoon met at a birthday party in 1997 and began dating shortly afterward. They announced their engagement the following year. In 1999, the two co-starred alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar in Roger Kumble’s classic teen romantic drama “Cruel Intentions.”
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This year, “Cruel Intentions” marked its 25th anniversary. During his interview with Fox News Digital, Phillippe noted that the movie “still holds up” a quarter of a century after it premiered in theaters.
“It’s still funny. It’s still, really, like, controversial in some ways, but I think what comes through on the screen is how much fun we were all having playing those parts and playing those characters,” he said. “And that started with Roger Kumble, the director, who was just a hilarious human being anyway.”
“But it’s like a weird word to use, but that was a delicious character to play,” he continued. “And it was like, so far from who I am. I’m like a really quiet, introspective, introverted guy. And so it was so fun to play somebody who was so kind of flamboyant and so calculated and, flippant.”
“I think that we just had fun making it. And it was an exciting time to be that age, to be 23, 22, 23 years old and doing some material like that,” he added with a laugh. “It was just a good time. It was a special one.”
Phillippe said “Cruel Intentions,” which marked its 25th anniversary this year, “still holds up.” (Mark Von Holden/Variety via Getty Images)
Looking back, Phillippe recalled that there were “certain hopes” that he had when he started his acting career.
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“One was to make a seminal teen movie. One was to make a war movie to honor my grandfathers. You know, those kind of things. And getting to do some of them is pretty exciting because that film still holds up,” he said. “People still watch ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer.’ They still watch ‘Cruel Intentions.’
“I did that movie with [Clint] Eastwood and [Steven] Spielberg honoring my grandfathers who fought in World War II,” Phillippe added, referring to the 2006 war drama “Flags of Our Fathers.”
“‘Crash’ won best picture. I got to help Robert Altman get a movie financed. I worked with both Scott brothers, Ridley and Tony,” Phillippe continued. “It’s been a fun run. I’ve been pretty lucky.”
“I know a lot of people look and think I’m a has-been or I never achieved what I might, and maybe I should have, but I don’t feel that way,” he said with a laugh.
“Prey” is in theaters and on demand now.
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