When Billy Crystal was honored at the Kennedy Center, his When Harry Met Sally co-star Meg Ryan was there too to help celebrate the comedy star, and relive their most iconic scene.
“The scene came really naturally to me, and I really have Billy to thank for that,” Ryan, our current cover star, said in her speech, referring to the famous moment when her character, Sally Albright, re-enacts an orgasm at a crowded deli to demonstrate to her friend Harry (Crystal) that he can’t always tell when a woman is “faking.” According to United States, she added, “I’ve actually never been around anyone who made faking an orgasm easier. Thank you, Billy.”
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“Of course, Harry is a very broad character: toxic, insensitive and terrified of commitment. If you take out all of Harry’s flaws, what you have underneath is pure Billy. And what he gives all of his characters is heart,” Ryan continued. “Harry is his heart because Billy listens to his [heart,] and as his wife, Janice, has known for over 50 years– falling for Billy is a pretty easy thing to do.”
In addition to being a humorous performance, what many people don’t realize is that the deli scene is also a sign of character development. The first time Harry and Sally share a meal, during their post-college road trip, Harry delivers the harsh truth to Sally that she’s never had “good sex.” He’s the more experienced and honest person in the relationship. Years later, however, that dynamic has completely shifted. Sally no longer has any shame around sex and is the one schooling Harry.
Though she’s ventured into writing and directing, Meg Ryan hasn’t strayed far from her romance roots, and recently released the later-in-life-love-story What Happens Later co-starring David Duchovny. “These characters are in their 50s. It’s a different story than when you’re in your 20s,” she told Glamour of the charming flick. “I wanted to make something beautiful and offer a new way of thinking about what love is.”
She also let us in on the moment she knew her son, The Boys star Jack Quaid, would be following in her footsteps: “I remember seeing him in a middle school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He was playing Bottom. I was newly separated from his father [Dennis Quaid] [who] was seated at the opposite of the gym. I had my head in my hands and was like, ‘Oh, noHe’s good
