Rita Wilson Says Tom Hanks Turned Down 'When Harry Met Sally' Because He Was Going Through Divorce

Hanks was "very happy to be not married," Wilson said with a laugh of her husband of 35 years

When Harry Met Sally could've looked very different, according to Rita Wilson.

The actress, 66, revealed on Tuesday's episode of the Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi podcast that her husband Tom Hanks almost played Harry Burns, a role that eventually went to Billy Crystal, in the now-iconic 1989 romantic comedy that also starred Meg Ryan as Sally Albright.

“People probably don’t know this, but Tom was offered When Harry Met Sally," said Wilson of Hanks, 66, whom she has been married to for 35 years.

According to Wilson, her husband "turned it down because he was going through a divorce and he was very happy to be not married."

"So he could not understand that a person going through a divorce would [feel] anything other than just like, 'I'm so happy,' " she added with a laugh.

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Related: Iconic Roles That Were 'Almost' Played by Someone Else

When Harry Met Sally follows Sally Albright and Harry Burns — two friends, played by Ryan, 61, and Crystal, 75 — who end up falling in love despite fighting their feelings over several years.

As Crystal celebrated his 75th birthday back in March, the actor took an opportunity to pay homage to the classic film, sharing an image on Twitter recreating his character's iconic pose.

"Thank you all," he wrote with the post, which showed a new photo of him recreating the scene's memorable costume — a large white sweater, with blue jeans and white sneakers to match — along with an image of him from that moment in When Harry Met Sally.

When Harry Met Sally celebrates 34 years since the Rob Reiner-directed rom-com hit movie theaters in July. In December, the Library of Congress announced that When Harry Met Sally was among 25 films selected as 2022's entries into the National Film Registry.

Meanwhile, Hanks eventually became a rom-com star in his own right opposite Ryan in films like Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998).

Related: Billy Crystal Recreates His 'When Harry Met Sally' Pose on 75th Birthday: 'Thank You All'

Coming off the heels of their 35th wedding anniversary, Wilson and Hanks recently stepped out at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for the world premiere of Wes Anderson's latest movie Asteroid City, in which they both appear.

Wilson wore a black dress to the event adorned with a cape and silver jewels. Hanks, for his part, donned a classic black-and-white tuxedo for the event as the couple walked the red carpet along with other Asteroid City cast members, including Steve Carell and Bryan Cranston.

Hanks and Wilson first met on the set of Bosom Buddies in 1981, while Hanks was still married to his college sweetheart Samantha Lewes. Though they started out merely as friends, the pair played lovers in the 1985 movie Volunteers and went public with their relationship the following year.

The couple married in April 1988 and have since welcomed two children together, Chester "Chet" Hanks, 32, and Truman Hanks, 27.

Hanks is also father to Colin Hanks, 45, and Elizabeth Hanks, 41, whom he shared with his late ex-wife Lewes, who died of bone cancer in 2002.

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