Ryan Phillippe Wishes He Could Reprise Cruel Intentions Role

Actor Ryan Phillippe has taken on a number of complex roles over the years, with a certain generation of movie fans surely holding a soft spot for his performance as Sebastian in 1999's Cruel Intentions. Fans aren't the only ones who hold that character in high regard when it comes to his career, as the actor himself recently confirmed that, given the opportunity to reprise any character he has played, he'd likely want to spend more time as Sebastian. Complicating matters, however, is that Sebastian dies in the movie. In the meantime, fans can see Phillippe in the MacGruber series when it premieres on Peacock on December 16th.

"Well, I really had so much fun playing Sebastian in Cruel Intentions, but unfortunately he's dead, so I don't think that's an option," Phillippe confirmed to ComicBook.com about the character he'd most want to reprise. "I would like to do something like that again. I enjoyed playing a character like that, that had so much license in terms of behavior. A lot of times when you're the leading man, the protagonist, you've got to be this relatable, straight-down-the-middle type, in a lot of ways. So it's fun to play the characters that have a bit more flare to them."

Earlier this year, it was confirmed that a reboot of the movie, which itself was a contemporary take on the 18th-century novel Dangerous Liaisons, was being developed for IMDb TV. Understandably, we shouldn't expect to see Phillippe reprise his Sebastian role in that project, but we surely can't rule out him appearing in some capacity to help pass the torch to a new generation. 

Reprising a role sounds like something Phillippe is more than prepared to do, having also detailed how easily he was able to tap into his dynamic for MacGruber.

"It was pretty effortless (getting back into character). Since making the film, we've all stayed in contact and stayed friendly, and we have a group text chain," the actor admitted. "Over the years, there would be discussions about, 'Oh, maybe it's going to come back in this form, or this company said they want to make a sequel.' We've all hoped and secretly wished for this to happen. Once we got back together, it felt like we never left, really. The dynamic between Will (Forte) and Kristen (Wiig) and I, once the story gets going, is so familiar to us and we all genuinely enjoy each other's company. So that's the best you can ask for in a work situation."  

In the new series, after rotting in prison for over a decade, America's ultimate hero and uber patriot MacGruber (Forte) is finally released. His mission: to take down a mysterious villain from his past-Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth (Zane). With the entire world in the crosshairs, MacGruber must reassemble his old team, Vicki St. Elmo (Wiig) and Dixon Piper (Phillippe), in order to defeat the forces of evil.

MacGruber debuts on Peacock on December 16th. Stay tuned for details on the Cruel Intentions TV show.

What role would you like to see Phillippe reprise? Let us know in the comments below!