There is nothing more fundamental than a parent fighting to protect their child. And seeing it on screen taps into a universal source of emotions: anxiety, fear, panic, and of course love. What will we not do to keep our children safe? That’s the question Ryan Phillippe faces in a new double feature from Republic Pictures. One Mile: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. He plays a former special forces soldier who struggles to reunite with his teenage daughter on a road trip to visit a university, but his journey becomes embroiled in a relentless battle for survival.
For many of us, Philip will always be the brooding heartthrob of the late 90s. But in this two-part action thriller, he steps into a different kind of role. He is a father who is conscious of his guilt, and his role is like walking a tightrope between trusting the world while protecting his children from the worst. And Philip, a father of three himself, brings a real-life perspective to the film’s emotional core.
We caught up with him to talk about filming such an intense project, raising kids who are now stepping into the spotlight themselves, and how becoming a father in his 20s reshaped everything.
Scary Mom: These movies are action-packed, but they’re essentially about a father trying to reconnect with his daughter. What was it like leveraging that dynamic, especially against Amélie Heffel?
Ryan Phillippe: We searched extensively for the role, and as soon as we found Amelie, one of the producers of this movie, we said to the other producers, “She’s the one.” It was about an angry, artistic young woman trying to figure out where she belongs, and I thought she captured that perfectly.
And it was really important to me to be the father of two daughters and be the center of the movie. Because he’s a guy who feels like he wasn’t there for her the way he was supposed to be. He may have stayed in the military a little too long, and there’s some guilt that comes with that. And your motivation for wanting to be part of this college search with her is to connect, reconnect, or try to be a bigger part of her life and perhaps try to make up for lost time.
SM: So Chapter 2your character is no longer just reacting, but is effectively being tracked by someone who has a better understanding of how they think. Did that inform how you approached Danny emotionally towards the second half?
RP: Of course, in the second film I’m tracking. At that point it’s a rescue mission and I’m facing incredible odds. It’s one person versus 100 people, which is a very difficult situation for any character in an action production. Yes, this was an ambitious attempt for all of us to shoot a movie and a sequel at the same time under very difficult conditions.
We were on beautiful Vancouver Island and I think it rained every day. We were dealing with really difficult terrain. A lot of physicality…so many action scenes and fight scenes and all the choreography that goes along with it. Also, I’m not a young man anymore, so when I do stunts, I tend to try to do as much as possible, but I do get minor injuries. Small injuries in my 20s, 30s, and even 40s were easier to overcome and bounce back from than they are now. So filming both movies, I spent a lot of time straining my muscles.
SM: Your character is literally willing to burn down everything to protect his daughter. As a parent, I think that’s a sentiment I can really relate to. How do we know the line between protecting and letting go, between burning everything down and letting our children just enjoy life?
RP: Well, while they are young and in the same house as you, you want to instill in them the values and sensibilities that they will need when they enter the workforce. Because you can’t stop life at a certain point. They will experience growth, heartache, trials and tribulations. And as a parent, you always try to be there for them, guide them, give them advice, but once they get past a certain age, there needs to be an element of release.
It was difficult for my eldest two to go to university. You are used to them being the center of your life and taking care of them. And that’s part of what we as parents do energetically while raising children, and it’s incredibly difficult to release afterwards. But I’m happy and proud of who they are and how myself and my ex-wife prepared them. So you always have to be there for them, but you can’t always be there. and they.
SM: You mentioned Reese[Witherspoon]there’s this funny culture where people joke about how strong your genes are. Like when Ava and Deacon were “copied and pasted” in the 90’s because they looked so much like you two. Now that you’re older and they’re older, what’s it like to see your younger self literally walking around?
RP: It’s interesting that Eva and Deacon are both breaking into the industry in some way. That’s what they grew up around. They’ve been on set their whole lives, they’ve seen us prepare for roles, and they’ve seen what happens when the movie comes out. They come into this industry with means that the average kid probably doesn’t have. But I see them as their own. They are unique and special in their own way. So I can’t really compare. I think that’s what ordinary people do.
SM: Everyone is still into nostalgia because it’s about nostalgia. cruel intentionsmany years have passed since then. Please send a message to cruel intentions-What would you say then about what life is like at this stage?
RP: Oh my gosh. That’s difficult. I mean, I love that that movie is still around and it seems like it’s continually finding new audiences, which is shocking to me. But right after that movie, not too long after its release, we were preparing for the birth of our first child. Therefore, it has to grow quite quickly. I was 24 when Eva was born and I am very young now.
After that, life took on a completely different and more important nature in a way because it was not just about you and your career. It gets fragmented very quickly. I do my best at work, but being a parent becomes the most important thing.
One Mile: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 is now available to rent or purchase digitally.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
