In his latest film, "Stop-Loss," written and directed by Kimberly Peirce, Ryan Philippe plays a very sensitive and difficult role of a soldier fighting in Iraq.

Although greatly appreciated for his good looks and beautiful blue eyes, Philippe declared he resented being known as merely a pretty face, so he turned to more dramatic and complex roles to emphasize that.

Philippe’s character in “Stop-Loss,” Sgt. Brandon King, joins the army following the events on September 11, and is sent to Iraq, where he gains many awards during the war. When he eventually returns home, he finds out he is supposed to go back to war again, even though his contract had expired. He is very upset with this injustice and decides to run away as AWOL.

In real life, many soldiers have encountered the “stop-loss” situation. Nearly 80,000 American soldiers who were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan have been sent back to war, after their contracts were up. Many of them have joined to form groups that filed lawsuits to protest against this unjust action. The reality inspiration is one reason why the film is very touching and complex.

Also starring in the film is Abbie Cornish, whom is already rumored to have a romance with Ryan Philippe, Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, both as Brandon’s army buddies. Asked about his relationship with his Aussie co-star Cornish, Philippe preferred not to comment about it.

Kimberly Peirce was also the director of the much appreciated and awarded film “Boys Don’t Cry,” starring Hilary Swank.

Philippe has recently played a role in another war movie, Clint Eastwood's “Flags of Our Fathers,” which was well-received by the critics in 2006.