Here’s What You Might Not Have Known About When Harry Met Sally

Is there anyone who has seen When Harry Met Sally that didn’t love it? The 1989 movie is arguably one of the most likable rom-coms ever made. How can you not love the cynical but loving Harry and the charming but headstrong Sally.

Meg Ryan as Sally Albright, Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal as Harry Burns. Photo By Andy Schwartz/Castle Rock/Nelson/Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock

Some little tidbits from behind the scenes will only make you love the movie even more and definitely seal the deal for your next movie night at home. Take this for a teaser: Harry could have been played by Tom Hanks, and Sally could have been Molly Ringwald. Here are a few more…

The Characters Were Inspired by the Filmmakers

Writer Nora Ephron created a script that looks all too easy, especially when you consider how smooth the dialogue is and how real the characters are. Part of it was because some Sally’s character was actually based on herself, particularly her idiosyncratic high-maintenance food orders.

Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan. Photo By Castle Rock/Nelson/Columbia/Kobal/Shutterstock

As for Harry’s character, Ephron relied heavily on Rob Reiner’s unlucky run with love. He once told The AV Club that Ephron took notes as he expressed the ups and downs of his love life.

The Interviews Were Real

One of the most charming features of the movie are the couples’ interviews that we get to see throughout. The actors were delivered the lines, but the interviews were, in fact, real. Reiner collected the lines from couples who told the stories of how they met.

Actor Billy Crystal And Wife Janice At The Premiere of The Film: When Harry Met Sally. Photo By Mike Forster/Associated Newspapers/Shutterstock

Reiner and Ephron adapted those transcripts into lines for the film. They then hired actors to tell the stories as though they were being interviewed about their love stories.