Meg Ryan made her first public appearance in half a year with a show of support for Michael J. Fox prior to the release of the new documentary focusing on his battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Ryan, 61, has reportedly not been seen for some six months, having made a conscious decision in recent years to take a step back from the limelight.

As per the Daily Mirror, she ventured out to lend support to friend Michael J. Fox at a screening of his forthcoming production, STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie.

The pair were snapped together looking happy, though fans were quick to comment on Ryan’s new look, which some termed “unrecognizable”.

The Sleepless in Seattle Star, who made her on-screen debut in Rich and Famous (1981), displayed an incredibly smooth complexion, once again fueling rumors that she may have dabbled in plastic surgery, despite her previous denials.

Indeed, some shared less than flattering opinions over Meg’s new look online, reigniting a debate that the actress herself has weighed in on in the past.

“This is Meg Ryan,” one Twitter user commented. “Hopefully women will learn from this. Plastic Surgery is for Frankenstein.

“Meg Ryan spent thousands to make herself unrecognizable and hideous,” another added.

Another person wrote of the pictures, “what did she do to herself? These hollywood elites overdo the plastic surgery. Get a refund”

“Wtf has Meg Ryan done to her face?!” a third wrote.

In the past Ryan has insisted that she pays little attention to those offering negative opinions as to her appearance.

In a 2015 interview with Porter Magazine, she openly addressed the rumors regarding plastic surgery.

“I don’t pay a lot of attention, frankly,” she said at the time. “There’s a lot of hatred in the world today. It’s so easy to judge. Imagine being a hater, how stupid.”

Turning out for the aforementioned screening, held at the Alice Tully Hall in the Lincoln Center, New York, the actress seemed to be in good spirits as she posed for pictures with the likes of Billy Murray and Elvis Costello on Michael J. Fox’s big night.

Fox, who recently conceded that he didn’t think he would live to see 80 years old, is releasing a new documentary focusing on his life during the three decades since his diagnosis.

The Back to the Future star was first told he had Parkinson’s disease aged just 29. Despite initially endeavoring to hide his condition, he’s since become a leading figure in the fight for heightened awareness and research.

In a tear-jerking recent interview, Fox candidly reflected on his own mortality, saying that his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s was “getting tougher”.

“I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder. It’s gettin’ tougher,” the retired actor said. “Every day it’s tougher. But, but, that’s, that’s the way it is. I mean, you know, who do I see about that?”

He added that he recently had spinal surgery after a tumor was found on his spine. While it was benign, it affected his ability to walk, and he was injured after a fall.

“[I] broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand,” Fox said.

“You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s. I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it. … I’m not gonna be 80. I’m not gonna be 80.”