Russell Crowe Was 'at the End' of Meg Ryan's Marriage to Dennis Quaid before Starting His Own Family

Meg Ryan had an affair with Russell Crowe before her marriage to Dennis Quaid ended but imagine her surprise when she learned that he had also been stepping out on her most of the time they were together — here are the details.

Two wrongs don't make a right, or do they? Russell Crowe may have thought his relationship with famous actress Meg Ryan was going in places; however, she put an end to it because of the number Dennis Quaid did on her — a classic case of once bitten, twice shy.

Her affair with Crowe was highly publicized for two reasons; they tried very hard not to get caught, and it began while she was in her nine-year marriage to Quaid.

Yes, up until 2000, Ryan and Crowe were very conscious of being spotted together, and they kept up the secrecy until Ryan filed for divorce from her then-husband.

She had allegedly gotten fed up with her husband's blatant flirting and with females half his age — and there was evidence.

Some female extras on the set of one of Quaid's flicks, "Any Given Sunday," once complained that the actor was "very aggressive, touching them."

Perhaps it pushed Ryan to seek out someone who could even things up, and Crowe was a willing participant. The talented actor, who at that point had never been married, seemed to like Ryan very much but had to keep their relationship under wraps until the tabloids sniffed it out.

The two were spotted hanging out together in London while working on the same movie, and after rumors started to multiply, they decided to publicly come out even though Meg was still married to her husband of nine years at the time.

The couple ended the charade as they exited Tom Cruise's party for the London premiere of "Mission: Impossible 2," and anyone who saw the pictures could tell that Ryan had seemed concerned about the press clicking away.

Crowe was smooth, though, and he quickly stepped in to calm her down, effectively containing her impulse to panic. "Don't worry," the New Zealand native said as he grabbed her arm and posed for the shots.

THE BOND WITH CROWE

Crowe and Ryan met each other on the set of a movie, but it is worth mentioning that her marriage with Quaid was in trouble by the time they met, and he was a great cure.

After some time, they noticed that their romance started to cool off and it was all coming from Ryan. The affair got a lot of attention from people who cast judging eyes on the actress, but a pivotal moment of self-liberation came with all of that.

It happened while the paparazzi were stalking them. News of her affair with Crowe was out in the open when she walked through the lobby in the Aldwych Hotel she once recalled.

Like in a movie, the world stopped for a moment when she entered; people stopped talking and stared, but she just kept walking, and when she reached the elevator, instead of falling apart, she burst into laughter.

That was when she learned that public disapproval "has no power if you know yourself." So her affair with Crowe progressed, and she lived it up with a clear conscience.

A bad boy known for his tavern brawls and surprisingly had a soft side that appeared to the tough Ryan. He enjoyed listening to her and was also adept at holding a conversation with her for hours on end — things she found turned her on.

A woman accustomed to getting her way, Ryan made no secret of her interest in Crowe to him once she and Quaid announced their separation.

Her friend said that Crowe and Ryan had seemed very crazy about each other; they spoke a lot, over the phone, via emails, and spent time together traveling and making memories together — they even reportedly went house shopping.

TOO MUCH TOO SOON

As earlier stated, Ryan and Quaid were already in danger of separating when she started her affair with Crowe. One of the reasons for this was the busy lives they both led.

The actress and Quaid did not finalize their divorce until a year after her affair with Crowe ended — something she orchestrated because of her unwillingness to start another relationship so soon after her failed one.

At some point, Ryan admitted that she did hurt Crowe in the end, but it could not have played out any other way because he wanted more than she was willing to offer, and contrary to popular belief, Crowe was not what ended her marriage to Quaid.

He was a large part, but there were several other factors involved that people were not aware of — for instance, she only truly discovered his infidelity after their separation.

Ryan was, according to friends, infatuated with the actor and him with her, but after some time, they noticed that their romance started to cool off and it was all coming from Ryan.

The woman had still been navigating the choppy waters of her divorce from Quaid, with whom she shared a son named Jack, and she was all about the child's well-being.

On the other hand, Crowe fell deeper in love and started imagining Ryan as his wife. But how could she opt-in for another long-term relationship when she was just leaving one?

Ryan felt that Crowe's attention and gifts — including a puppy and a vintage vehicle — were "too much too soon," so she started to back off. It was the end of their whirlwind affair.

AFTER THEY COLLIDED

When it was all said and done, Ryan returned to her child while Crowe, heartbroken, decided to feel better by throwing parties and cavorting with different women.

Eventually, Crowe found his way back into his ex-girlfriend Danielle Spencer's arms, and they wed in 2003 before going on to welcome two beautiful sons. Unfortunately, the pair separated sometime in 2012 and divorced in 2018.