In the summer of 1998, Mark Christopher’s 54 landed in theaters with a dull thud. Despite a cast of then-hot stars like Neve Campbell, Mike Myers, and Ryan Phillippe, and the fact that it arrived at a time of peak ’70s nostalgia (thanks in part to specials like VH1’s Behind the Music), the film grossed a paltry $6.6 million during its opening weekend and was panned by critics. All of which predicted that 54 would fade into oblivion.

Weee-oooo weee-oooo ALERT: Elle published the best interview I have ever read in my entire life today. The subject? Actor, ex-husband of Reese Witherspoon, and self-proclaimed polymath Ryan Phillippe. Of the first three sentences he speaks, one is this: "And now, I'm really involved in helping to liberate a small country."