{"id":224623,"date":"2026-02-23T22:36:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T22:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/23\/ryan-phillippe-details-challenge-of-raising-teen-daughters-new-film-one-mile\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T22:36:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T22:36:24","slug":"ryan-phillippe-details-challenge-of-raising-teen-daughters-new-film-one-mile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/23\/ryan-phillippe-details-challenge-of-raising-teen-daughters-new-film-one-mile\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Phillippe Details ‘Challenge’ of Raising Teen Daughters, New Film One Mile"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Ryan Phillippe<\/strong><\/a> understands the \u201cchallenge\u201d of raising teenagers \u2014 which is exactly why he connected so deeply to the role of\u00a0 an estranged father desperate for reconnection in his new two-part action thriller, One Mile<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that drew me to this film was the nature of that father-daughter relationship,\u201d Phillippe, 51, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> while discussing both films. \u201cIt was pitched to me by [executive producer] Aaron Kaplan<\/strong> a few years ago, and we decided to develop it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One Mile: Chapter One<\/em> and One Mile: Chapter Two<\/em>, which was released on Friday, February 20, follows newly retired army veteran Danny (Phillippe) as he takes his estranged daughter, Alex (Am\u00e9lie Hoeferle<\/strong>), on a trip around the country to look at potential colleges. When Alex suggests they steer off the planned path to check out an art school she\u2019s interested in, Danny \u2014 desperate to reconnect with her \u2014 agrees. But a lack of hotels leads to them camping alone in the forest, and things quickly take a turn as the pair end up getting attacked by a group of mysterious men.<\/p>\n

According to Phillippe, Kaplan was touring colleges with his daughter, who also serves as a producer on the project, when she came up with the idea for the films while the pair were traveling down some rural New Hampshire roads.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis story was her idea,\u201d Phillippe explained to Us<\/em>. \u201c[She] said to her dad, \u2018What if our car broke down right now and we\u2019re in the middle of nowhere? And then what if some kind of nefarious someone took me or abducted me?\u2019 And that\u2019s what this was born out of.\u201d<\/p>\n

While both movies are action-packed from start to finish, it\u2019s Danny\u2019s undying love for his daughter \u2014 even when they\u2019re at odds \u2014 that serves as the emotional heart of the films. (Phillippe is dad to daughter Ava, 26, and son Deacon, 22, whom he shares with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon<\/strong><\/a>. He also shares daughter Kai, 14, with ex Alexis Knapp<\/strong>.)<\/p>\n

\u201cDanny feels some guilt for having been away, and maybe he stayed in the military a bit too long and doesn\u2019t have the relationship with his daughter that he\u2019d like to,\u201d Phillippe explained. \u201cSo this trip with her is an opportunity to maybe connect, reconnect, and foster a more significant relationship with her. And being a dad to two girls, I think that was a really beautiful and compelling reason for me to do this movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before Chapter One<\/em> takes a much darker turn, much of its first act highlights Danny\u2019s desperate attempts to find common ground with his teenage daughter, who continuously thwarts his advances to connect. She insists on calling him Daniel, refuses to open up about her life and is vocal about resenting him and his absence as a father. The constant push and pull between the two characters makes for some deeply uncomfortable \u2014 but occasionally hilarious \u2014 moments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is that awkwardness, and it\u2019s very clear that Danny doesn\u2019t know how to interact with a teenage girl,\u201d Phillippe said with a laugh. \u201cHe\u2019s a guy who\u2019s been in the military and dealing with those folks and that mindset. So it\u2019s sort of difficult, it\u2019s a challenge for him, to, like, not be overbearing or not to pry, but wanting to know as much about [her] as he possibly can.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Ryan Phillippe, Am\u00e9lie Hoeferle<\/span> Republic Pictures<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The twosome ultimately find common ground when Alex opens up about her love of art, and Danny fully supports her ditching her plan to play college soccer in lieu of pursuing other passions \u2014 a mirror of how Phillippe has supported his own children stepping into the spotlight over the years. But just as Alex starts to let Danny in, a brutal attack leads to the pair fighting for their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt becomes a survival story for the two of them, which [Alex is] a very active participant in,\u201d Phillippe explained. \u201cHe has to save and protect the person he loves most in the world, and that\u2019s his little girl, and I think over that course of that time, she starts to see that he is trying, and that he would do anything for her, and that\u2019s where we kind of end up on this journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Danny and Alex are ultimately separated before Alex is kidnapped and taken to a nearby village. Fearing for the safety of his daughter, Danny relies on his 30 years of tactical prowess, something that required a high level of training from Phillippe.<\/p>\n

Luckily, the actor has an extensive history with the military, both on and off screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have done a lot of tactical training throughout my career. I\u2019ve been in quite a few military movies and TV shows, like Shooter<\/em> and I Know What You Did Last Summer<\/em> <\/a>and Stop-Loss,<\/em>\u201d he told Us<\/em>. \u201cI also come from a very military family, so I think a little bit of it is in my blood. We [also] had a great tech advisor on set who was there to make sure that I was moving properly and militarily and doing the right calculations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite being in shape both physically and mentally, Phillippe admitted the level of hand-to-hand combat and stunt work he needed for the role wasn\u2019t exactly easy.<\/p>\n

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\n Ryan Phillippe, Am\u00e9lie Hoeferle<\/span> Republic Pictures<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere are these different components. You\u2019ve got the physical aspect, you\u2019ve got the acting and dialogue aspect, you\u2019ve got the tactical component that needs to be factored in. So it really does become quite challenging,\u201d he said, before adding that he was up for the challenge. \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of stuff that I get really into. Also, whenever I\u2019m doing a film where I\u2019m playing a character who has a military background, it\u2019s important to me to do that to the best of my ability, and to honor those who serve and also [pay] tribute to my family members who serve and have served.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phillippe noted that while the films had an \u201cincredible\u201d stunt team, he did try and complete as many of the stunts himself that he \u201cpossibly\u201d could \u2014 and as much as he was legally allowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI approach pieces like this the way an athlete would. You know you\u2019re going to get bumps and bruises and you\u2019re going to be sore, but you kind of prepare yourself physically and mentally for that, and you\u2019re absolutely right,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are some things that I want to do that I\u2019m told I\u2019m not allowed to do, because the danger is you get injured, the whole production comes to a halt. I try to do as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of what was asked of Phillippe involved physical combat \u2014 with some sequences requiring a memorization of \u201c40 plus moves\u201d while delivering dialogue. If that wasn\u2019t hard enough, the weather conditions in Vancouver, Canada, where both films were shot, made things even more chaotic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis movie offered a particular challenge in its ambitiousness, because we were shooting a movie and its sequel concurrently, at the same time, under relatively difficult conditions,\u201d he shared. \u201cI think it rained every single day. Our base camp was in mud and underwater. The majority of the time, we have wood planks that we had to walk on to get to and from our trailers. So it was a challenge for both cast and crew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phillippe, of course, wasn\u2019t the only one who was required to deliver when it came to physical action sequences. As determined as Danny is to reach his daughter, Alex leads her own rescue, something that Phillippe said only works thanks to Hoeferle\u2019s incredible casting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did an exhaustive search for the Alex role,\u201d Phillippe revealed. \u201cAnd as soon as I saw Amelie\u2019s audition video, I knew she was the one. \u201cShe was meant to be an angsty, artistic teenager, and that just jumped off the screen the moment that I saw her.\u201d<\/p>\n

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