Ryan Phillippe praises his son, whom he shares with Reese Witherspoon. ‘Has his mama's work ethic’

Ryan Phillippe is opening up about how proud he is of his son. 

The 50-year-old “Cruel Intentions” actor shares two kids — daughter Ava Elizabeth Phillippe, 25, and son Deacon Reese Phillippe, 21 — with his ex-wife and former co-star Reese Witherspoon.

On Sept. 9, Ryan Phillippe and Deacon Reese appeared at J.Crew's takeover of 190 Bowery in New York City, where they spoke to People about the younger Phillippe’s buddening career as an actor. 

"Honestly, I just wake up every day, [and] try to be the best person I can," Deacon told the outlet. "I couldn't do any of it without God, and I work my butt off, so to speak."

Ryan Phillippe agreed with his son’s humble response — while praising his ex-wife at the same time. 

"He does,” the proud father said. “He's got his mama's work ethic. He absolutely does."

The father-son duo were cast as brothers on the new coming-of-age drama series “Motorheads,” which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on May 20.

During an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” which aired Monday, June 2, Ryan Phillippe shared what it was like working alongside his son on the show. 

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Phillippe admitted that it was “odd,” but ultimately described the experience as a “blessing.”

"It was so cool to have him come in and out, because you're on location in Toronto for months and months at a time and you don't get to see family or the kids so much,” Phillippe explained. 

“So every time he came into work it was such a blessing and so cool to have that shared experience with him,” he added. 

Ryan Phillippe shares his take on the ‘nepo baby’ debate

In a world where celebrity kids are often criticized for being given opportunities due to their parent’s status, Ryan Phillippe argues that it’s a natural thing — no matter what the parent does for a living. 

In a 2024 interview with Extra, he opened up about what annoys him about the “whole nepotism talk.”

“To me, I always get offended for the children of actors and entertainers when people bring that up because yeah, of course, that's what they've grown up around,” he told the outlet. 

"These kids have grown up watching on set with Reese or with me. It seems natural, I think,” he added. 

More recently, in a May interview with People, Ryan Phillippe admitted that he didn’t want to influence anyone’s decision in having his son star alongside him in “Motorheads.” 

But that didn’t stop him from hoping he would get the role — albeit silently. 

"I didn't want to be an influence one way or the other, so I said, 'Well, offer it to him, and see what he thinks,’” he told People. 

“The whole time [in my head] I'm like, 'Please do it. Please do it. I want you there with me.' But I wanted it to be his own decision,” he added. 

Ryan Phillippe went on to say that he was “thrilled” when his son said yes because it meant he would get to spend more time with him. 

“I didn't mind being set dad for the days that he was there," he said to People. "And I would go and get him a snack from craft service or bring him a coffee if he needed it."

Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon tied the knot in 1999 before finalizing their divorce in 2008, according to People. 

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In addition to Ava and Deacon, Ryan Phillippe also shares a 13-year-old daughter, Kai, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Alexis Knapp, according to E! News.