SUBMITTED BY Timbo

February 17, 2004 — Less-kind headline writers could say "Meg Ryan's career is ON the ropes", but let's wait and see. MSNBC talks to the actress about her role in the upcoming movie.

The movie, heavy on fight sequences, was made in 2002 and was first slated for release last April but Paramount Pictures delayed its debut because of what it felt could be a hard sell during the Iraq war.

Producer Robert Cort told reporters that with Ryan departing from her best-known, romantic comedy role, they needed a less frenzied climate to promote the movie.

Ryan was not a boxing fan before the movie  although she comments wryly that she has "thrown some good punches in my imagination"  and was nothing like the sassy, brassy Kallen with her penchant for high heels and sexy wardrobe.

But she came to see sport as "am amazing metaphor for drama" and to appreciate the discipline of boxing.

"There's a real purity in boxing and that wasn't my initial impression of it ever ... But then I started to see the difference between fighting and boxing. I think this is a great release for aggression, a healthy release," Ryan said.

Read the rest at the link below.