Oscar winning actress Tatum O'Neal is hoping to mend her fractured relationship with her father Ryan O'Neal as she recovers from a near death experience.
00:00Oscar-winning actress Tatum O'Neill is hoping to mend her fractured relationship with her father, Ryan O'Neill, as she recovers from a near-death experience.
00:09Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress opens up about her near-fatal stroke in 2020 that was induced by a prescription overdose,
00:16her strained relationship with her father since childhood, and the road to her making amends.
00:21The actress once lived out a Hollywood fairy tale, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at just 10 years old for her role in Paper Moon.
00:30Acting alongside her father and becoming the youngest ever Oscar winner.
00:34But what seemed like a fairy tale was anything but.
00:37He loved me, but then hated me because I won the Academy Award. Weird s*** happened. It kind of went in the wrong direction to happiness.
00:44By his own admission, Ryan was never up to the job.
00:47He once admitted that on set, the director insisted that my character Moses never thought for a second that this was his daughter.
00:54So he wanted me to make sure that I didn't think of her as my daughter. Maybe it never wore off.
00:59O'Neal chronicled her life and strained relationship in her 2001 memoir, A Paper Life.
01:05The pair reconnected shortly after May of 2020, when O'Neal suffered a massive stroke caused by a prescription drug overdose.
01:12The stroke left her in a coma for six weeks.
01:15When she finally reawakened, she couldn't remember how to speak.
01:18Their initial reunion was the first time Ryan reunited with his grandkids in 17 years.
01:23Her son, Sean McEnroe, shared the meeting on social media, posting a picture of the family altogether.
01:29But O'Neal notes she hasn't seen her dad since 2020.
01:33It was this near-death experience that caused her to want to rebuild and repair that relationship.
01:38Ahead of their meeting, she tells THR,
01:40My father and I are going to have a conversation. We're just going to talk. I hope it will work out. We'll see. I pray that it will. I think he's gotten a little better in his life.
01:49Adding,
01:50I mean, he's an amazing man, my dad, and I miss him terribly.
01:53Although they've shared a publicly tumultuous relationship, she also notes,
01:58I don't want him to die. I love him. I love my dad. I mean, I've had a hard life with my dad, but I still love him.
02:04After their meeting, O'Neal updated THR, saying it went really well, adding they didn't talk about a lot, but, quote,
02:11There was happiness.
02:13Then, on her father's 82nd birthday, Tatum posted a photo from their meeting to Instagram, simply captioning it,
02:19Happy birthday, Dad. I love you.
02:21And as far as looking back at her own life, O'Neal says,
02:24It's been hard. I've had a hard time with a lot of things. I've had a very hard life. Not an easy life.
02:29There's been some amazing things and some really scary things.
02:33For a much more in-depth look at Tatum O'Neal's life, career, and road to recovery, head to the article on THR.com.
02:40And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
Be the first to comment