Ryan Phillippe reveals how stressful fame can be

Washington, Apr 21 : American actor Ryan Phillippe has admitted that he was not quite prepared for the attention that was attached to his marriage to actress Reese Witherspoon.

Phillippe, 33, spoke to Britain's The Times Magazine of the problems that a high-profile marriage can bring, leaving his friendship with costar Abbie Cornish out of the conversation.

"I fooled myself into believing it would be easier than it was. To have people speculating constantly about the state of your relationship, casting aspersions and telling lies ... It took more of a toll than I was immediately aware of," People mag quoted him as having told the magazine.

The actor is very much aware of the trauma one has to go through because of the fame and he revealed that his attitude towards photographers has rubbed off on daughter Ava.

"She's aware and it creates in her a lot of anxiety, which is partly my fault. When Ava was very young, I was young too. I'd get ... visibly angry at the paparazzi back then," he said.

"She was my first child, and my instinct was to protect her," he added.

The one person in his family who does not seem to be affected by the whole thing is his son Deacon

"Mainly because since his birth I've realized that you've got to make it seem like less of a big deal. Ava to this day, though ... It breaks my heart to think about it, hearing her say, 'My friends at school saw a picture of me in a magazine and they made fun because I was carrying a blanket'," he said.

Though it is very harrowing an experience for him, Phillippe has found a way to use the free exposure for a good cause, by wearing shirts with charity Web sites he supports, such as Children's Defense and Africare.

"Because these pictures go around the world and untold numbers of people see them. One organization told me their web hits went up 2,000 percent overnight after one such image was syndicated," he added.

ANI