Ryan Phillippe Says He’s ‘Open’ to Getting Married Again: ‘I Haven’t Closed Any Books’

Ryan Phillippe isn’t opposed to the idea of tying the knot again.

PEOPLE recently caught up with the veteran actor, who just returned to the screen with USA’s new hit show Shooter — and the father of three says he’s “open” to the possibility of marriage somewhere down the line.

After a public split from his ex-wife Reese Witherspoon in 2006, with whom he shares daughter Ava, 17, and son Deacon, 13, the star says he’s developed a “pretty thick skin” when it comes to media scrutiny.

“I’ve faced every manner of gossip, and I don’t take myself as seriously now,” he says. “There is a freedom and a release that comes with maturity. I’ve made peace with it. We live in a time where being a private person isn’t really an option anymore.”

Phillippe, 42, also shares 5-year-old daughter, Kailani, with former girlfriend Alexis Knapp, recently broke off his engagement to law student Paulina Slagter in November after five years together.

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Of living so much of his life in the public eye, the actor says the challenge lies in the way it “affects those in your life who didn’t choose to be a public figure: your children and the people you are in a relationship with.”

“I think that’s when it gets really difficult,” he says. “Of course is a challenge. When I’ve been involved with people in my industry in the past, there is a little bit more of an understanding of what to expect, but I feel like when you are with someone who is not in the industry, the focus isn’t there to the same degree.”

But that doesn’t mean he’s got it all figured out.

“Relationships are just not territory that I have anything new to offer in terms of that experience,” he says. “It’s been said by everyone. There are ups and downs in relationships.”

And while navigating the dating world as a public person hasn’t always been easy, the actor says he’s not against the possibility of getting married again.

“I’m open to it,” he says. “I don’t have a date or any plans set. I haven’t closed any books!”

RELATED VIDEO: Reese Witherspoon and Daughter Ava Phillippe Look Like Twins!

In the meantime, Phillippe is ready for what lies ahead.

“I’m looking forward to what I haven’t experienced yet,” he says. “I’m looking forward to the new challenges and facing them. If I really think about each and every aspect or category in my life, there is something to look forward to and for that I’m really grateful. The new ventures, the risks that you take in business and in entrepreneurship — that stuff gets me really excited to try to make something succeed in an industry that I haven’t spent the majority of my life in.”

“That’s very exciting to me,” he adds. “And the journey. I still feel very young in spirit. There is so much more I want to learn and so many more places I want to go — so I think life in general is exciting.”

Shooter airs Tuesdays (10 p.m. ET) on USA Network.

• With AURELIE CORINTHIOS