‘When Harry Met Sally’ Director Turned Film’s Sad Ending To A Happy Ending After Finding Love In Real Life

Armando Tinoco
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The ending of When Harry Met Sally was not how it was initially conceived, and director Rob Reiner is opening up about what changed his mind.

In a new interview for Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, Reiner revealed that the 1989 romantic comedy had a “tearjerking ending.”

More from Deadline

“The original ending of the film that we had was that Harry and Sally didn’t get together,” Reiner said on the CNN show.

The film’s ending has Billy Crystal’s Harry see Meg Ryan’s Sally at a New Year’s Eve party, where he declares his love for her. After sharing a kiss, it’s revealed that they go on and get married three months later.

Reiner said he changed the ending after meeting his wife, Michele Singer, who he met during filming. The director that if it hadn’t been for him finding love in real life, Harry and Sally wouldn’t have ended up together.

“I’d been married for ten years,” Reiner said. “I’d been single for ten years, and I couldn’t figure out how I was ever going to be with anybody. That gave birth to When Harry Met Sally. I hadn’t met anybody, so it was going to be the two of them seeing each other after years, talking, and then walking away from each other.”

When Harry Met Sally was written by Nora Ephron and directed by Reiner, the film was released in 1989, the same year Reiner married his wife. Other actors in the movie include Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby, Steven Ford, Lisa Jane Persky, Michelle Nicastro, Kevin Rooney, Harley Kozak and Estelle Reiner.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.