Ryan Phillippe Doesn't Think His Kids Should See Their Parents in Cruel Intentions

Things were hot and heavy on the set of the 1999 film "Cruel Intentions," leading to an incredible chemistry between leads Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon that led to their actual marriage off-screen.

Chemistry or not, though, their characters in the cult classic film were an absolute disaster as a relationship -- and that's putting it very kindly -- to the point Phillippe still isn't sure he's comfortable with the idea of his kids seeing it, even though they're getting older.

22-year-old Ava has been turning heads on the red carpet with her mother, with many saying she's a veritable lookalike for Witherspoon. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Deacon has been an adorable presence on his mother's TikTok page where he appears both embarrassed and charmed by her ... naïve enthusiasm.

"I haven’t checked back in with them about it now that they’re both of age," Phillippe told E! News. "I don't know if it would be creepy for them, you know? In some ways, like if I were to think about watching my parents do some of the things that their parents do in that movie, it wouldn't be the most appetizing or appealing notion."

The film does feature a sex scene between Phillippe and Witherspoon, but mostly features Phillippe being absolutely awful to Witherspoon's virginal character as part of a bet with another awful character, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Phillippe did have to admit that he's not actually sure if his children have seen the movie, though he's confident they've at least seen clips and bits of it on social media.

"I think it would embarrass me a little bit, you know," he said of the kids watching the movie. "I still believe it very much holds up, but, it was really racy. It was really an R rated movie, heavy R."

Nevertheless, Phillippe told the outlet that he still cherishes the role, and the freedom it gave him to really go over the top with his performance.

Witherspoon and Phillippe have been fielding questions about their kids and "Cruel Intentions" for years, with Witherspoon telling Andy Cohen in 2018 on "Watch What Happens Live" that the kids actually don't want to see it.

She said they "have no interest in seeing me in a movie -- and especially seeing me and their dad, like, having sex in a movie. It's so weird."

It doesn't look like they'll have to explore that chapter of their parents' lives at all if they don't want to, either. After all of their appearances together, and with Ava looking radiant and so much like her mother, the media inevitably began asking if Ava would be following in her famous parents' footsteps -- and possibly even be open to playing Witherspoon in a biopic of her life.

She was most recently asked about the possibility of Ava portraying her during an appearance on Fox 5 New York's "The Morning Show," as detailed by Just Jared. Reese shut it down pretty swiftly, saying that Ava is "not an actress."

"She’s so happy with her life and I am just so enormously proud of her and the incredible, compassionate young woman she’s become," Witherspoon said on the show.

It's probably for the best, though, as there's no way a biopic about Witherspoon's life could skip the "Cruel Intentions" chapter, considering its role in her marriage to Phillippe -- they wed the same year the film came out, getting divorced in 2007 -- and ultimately their children together.

Note to journalists, don't ask if Deacon has any acting aspirations or interest in portraying his father in a biopic of his life. It doesn't sound like the family has any interesting in going there -- still.