Hollywood star Tom Hanks has garnered a massive following with his delightful and incredible performances throughout his career. The actor has represented almost every emotion with his characters in dramas and rom-com. And every time the actor took on a dramatic role, he was able to charm the audience with his performance on the screen. However, despite having such a strong hold on the genre, he was unable to land the lead role in the 1989 romantic comedy, When Harry Met Sally.
Rob Reiner’s 1989 romantic comedy starred Billy Crystal opposite Meg Ryan as the lead character Harry and Sally, respectively. However, Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, has revealed that her husband turned down the offer due to his personal affairs.
Tom Hanks Turned Down the 1989 Romantic Comedy
Rob Reiner’s 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally... follows the title characters as they deal with their feelings toward each other. The movie was a commercial and critical success making $92 million at the box office with a budget of $16 million. Critics also highly praised the film, giving it a 91% critic score, and called it one of the best romantic comedies of its time.
However, there were a number of actors in line to star in the movie before Billy Crystal officially landed the role of Harry Burns. And one of them was also Tom Hanks. His wife, Rita Wilson, talked about it during her appearance on the Table for Two podcast.
“People probably don’t know this, but Tom was offered When Harry Met Sally…, and he turned it down,” she shared. Wilson further revealed that her husband turned down the offer as he was going through the divorce with his ex-wife Samantha Lewes at the time and was “very happy to not be married.”
The offer eventually went to the Primetime Emmy winner Billy Crystal. The director of the film has also shared that he found him perfect for the role, and after seeing the instant chemistry between him and Ryan, he decided to finalize the lead cast of the movie.
Rob Reiner Considered Billy Crystal Perfect As Harry Burns
The Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks was not the only star in line to be Harry Burns in one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. Director Rob Reiner has shared that he also considered Albert Brooks, Richard Dreyfuss, and Michael Keaton for the lead role in the 1989 movie.
He also shared that The Princess Bride actress was his best friend at the time and thought he could be a good choice for the role. Although both the lead actors of the movie, Crystal and Ryan, were not huge movie stars at the time, Reiner decided to hold auditions.
“Billy was my best friend at the time, so I thought he would be good in this part … we held auditions, and Meg read with Billy,” he shared. The duo had an instant chemistry, and the director knew that he found his Harry Burns and Sally Albright.
When Harry Met Sally...is available on Prime Video.
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Source: Table for Two With Bruce Bozzi
