Ryan Phillippe Says He Feels 'More at Peace' at This Stage in Life: 'I Spent a Lot of Time in Prayer'

"I went on this spiritual journey," the 'Cruel Intentions' star said of getting out of 'a darker place'

Ryan Phillippe is reflecting on why he feels "at peace" in life.

While speaking to Fox News Digital, the Cruel Intentions star, 49, said his faith is "incredibly" important to him and "grows even more every day" as he spoke about going on a "spiritual journey" after filming his new movie Prey.

A description of the film reads, "A young couple is compelled to leave their Christian missionary station in the Kalahari Desert after being threatened with death by an extremist militant gang. After crashing their aircraft they must battle man and beast for their lives," per IMDb.

Phillippe shared, "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," he went on. "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."

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The father of three said he was "kind of in a darker place" while shooting the movie, adding, "It was right after filming it where I went on this spiritual journey where I started going really deep inside."

"I got back into reading the Bible and various other religious tomes, but I found myself drawn to this notion of spirituality," the actor 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."

"And so you look for more," Phillippe 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. I shedded addictions so I'm a big proponent for people going inward and trying to understand those aspects of life."

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Phillippe previously referenced his faith growing up while reflecting on his iconic role as the scandalous Sebastian Valmont in the 1999 cult classic Cruel Intentions.

"I thought my parents were going to disown me," Phillippe said of his religious parents, Richard and Susan Phillippe, during a 2020 appearance on Barstool Sports' KFC Radio.

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Phillippe explained how he was already on thin ice after playing gay teen Billy Douglas on One Life to Live from 1992 to 1993. "I'd grown up going to Baptist school, Christian school, and stuff," he said. "My first role ever, though, coming out of the Christian school when I was a senior in high school, I played the first gay character on a soap opera, first gay teenager ever. I was shunned at that point, so they were already out of the picture."

"This was 1992, and I was playing a gay teenager and I was in a Christian school," he added. "They weren't happy about it."'

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