Ryan Phillippe: Fatherhood Is My Greatest Achievement

Ryan Phillippe says fatherhood is his "greatest achievement".

The 'Stop Loss' actor - who has two children, eight-year-old Ava and four-year-old Deacon, with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon - insists being a dad is the best thing in his life.

He said: "Being a father is by far my greatest achievement and the most important thing about me. My mother had a day-care center in my house while I was growing up. And I come from a big family on the East Coast. We grew up helping take care of and raise kids, so it's like second nature to me."

Ryan also revealed he has to explain to his children why they are followed by paparazzi.

He added to 'Entertainment Tonight': "You try to make it seem as commonplace as you can. That's sort of the approach you have to take with all of that stuff, with the press, with the paparazzi. You just say, 'Well, you know, mommy and daddy do this certain kind of job and it creates an interest with the public,' and you minimize all of that stuff as much as you can."

'Stop Loss', co-starring Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum and Ciaran Hinds, is released in the U.S. later this month.