Facts About 'When Harry Met Sally' That Even the Biggest Rom-Com Fans Don't Know (2024)

And, at least according to IMDB, Albert Brooks, Michael Keaton, Harrison Ford, and Bill Murray were also considered before producers landed on Billy Crystal.

However, Meg Ryan, who had never been the lead in a movie before, was able to convince director Rob Reiner she was right for the part, and he casted her instead.

In a way, Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner are the real-life Harry and Sally. Everything from their little personality quirks to their candid discussions about men and women inspired the material for the characters.

The creative team had a tough time figuring out exactly what to call this film, so Rob Reiner held a title-naming contest, rewarding the best pitch with a full case of champagne. Nora Ephron also came up with Boy Meets Girl, Just Friends, Words of Love, and Harry, This is Sally.

The chemistry between the stars was critical, so production knew they had to get the casting right. Once Billy and Meg got into the audition together, the chemistry was instant. Billy told Entertainment Weekly, "Meg came in, and we didn't even read a scene, and we all knew it was her. It's just one of those indefinable things that when we started talking, we were them already, you know?"

You know the one: Harry and Sally are in the deli discussing the topic of women faking org*sms. To prove her point, Sally demonstrates the act right in the middle of the packed eatery. Well, Meg Ryan came up with the idea for the scene, as she believed it would fit her character's behavior. Genius.

Following the, ehem, performance put on by Meg Ryan's character in the deli, the scene cuts to a nearby patron who tells a waiter, "I'll have what she's having." The "Older Woman Customer" (as she's credited in the film) is played by director Rob Reiner's mom, Estelle.

In the movie, Harry and Sally give their best friends, Jess (Bruno Kirby) and Marie (Carrie Fisher), a call for some much-needed advice. It took the four actors 61 times to get the perfect take. To pull off the synchronized act, the crew used three cameras and filmed the actors in real-time on separate sets that were all connected by a real telephone line to get the timing just right.

Which ones? Billy came up with, "I love the way your nose crinkles" and "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

Everyone loves a happy ending, which is why director Rob Reiner changed around the script's initial ending — which saw both of the title characters going their separate ways. The inspiration for the change? Reiner fell in love while making the film, so he felt the characters deserved a happier fate.

"I wanted to make him a little bit rougher around the edges to start. So we came up with this idea of him eating the grapes [during the road trip]," director Rob Reiner recalled. "[Billy] said, 'I can just be spitting the seeds out the window.' That's what gave Harry a little bit more abruptness. Billy and I just came up with that on set as we were doing it."

Following the success of When Harry Met Sally, the film's screenplay writer Nora Ephron (center) and Meg went on to collaborate on three more huge projects together: Sleepless in Seattle (1993), You've Got Mail (1998), and Hanging Up (2000).

Actor Steven Ford, who portrayed Harry's neighbor/Sally's boyfriend Joe, is actually the son of former U.S. President Gerald Ford. He later appeared in Armageddon, Black Hawk Down, and Transformers.

At the time of the film's release, The New York Times called it an "amazingly hollow film," and Roger Ebert said it was "most conventional, in terms of structure and the way it fulfills our expectations." It wasn't all negative, however, as many had positive things to say about the movie's humor and the chemistry between the actors.

Because the film was opening against big-budget summer blockbusters like Batman and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Billy had little hope for a big box office return. To combat the competition, the studio released the film in just a few theaters the first week to allow for positive word-of-mouth to spread — a tactic that seemingly paid off.

Sometimes it's best not to mix work and play, and that's exactly why Reiner was apprehensive about working with his best friend, Billy Crystal. "The fear I had was, 'What if you would [work] with a friend and it doesn't work out, are we going to destroy a friendship?" Reiner expressed. "I had no reservations about him playing the part, I just wanted to make sure."

In the movie, Harry can be seen reading Stephen King's Misery. It's a non-trivial moment that reveals what director Reiner would go on to make next — the James Caan and Kathy Bates thriller was released just one year later.

The first-floor ballroom in Manhattan's Puck Building, located at 295 Lafayette Street and Houston Street, was the setting for the big New Year's Eve party at the end of the film. The multi-use structure has luxury penthouses at the top of the building that go for a cool $36 million.