Explained: Why did Tom Hanks turn down When Harry Met Sally?

When Harry Met Sally is undoubtedly one of the most iconic romantic drama movies of all time. Nora Ephron acted as the screenwriter for the film, while Rob Reiner directed it. The movie addressed a classic question but did not resolve questions along the lines of "Can men and women ever just be friends?" It starred Meg Ryan as Sally and Billy Crystal as Harry, whose on-screen chemistry was undeniable. The movie was certainly a megahit.

However, in a recent podcast interview on iHeart’s Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi, Rita Wilson, actor Tom Hank's wife, went on to reveal that it was Hanks who was first offered the lead role of Harry Burns in When Harry Met Sally. But the Forrest Gump actor turned it down as he could not relate to Harry's storyline.

"People probably don’t know this, but Tom was offered When Harry Met Sally and he turned it down because he was going through a divorce and he was very happy to not be married...And so he could not understand that a person going through a divorce would have anything other than just like, ‘I’m so happy.’ But I loved that script," Rita Wilson said.

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Tom Hanks and first wife Samantha Lewes were going through a divorce when he was offered the role of Harry Burns in When Harry Met Sally

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have worked in a number of well-known movies, including You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. He also had the opportunity to work opposite her in the 1989 movie When Harry Met Sally as well, as disclosed by Hank's wife Rita Wilson in the Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi podcast.

However, the actor turned the offer down, as at the time he was happy that he was getting a divorce from his first wife of nine years, Samantha Lewes, and did not understand the movie's storyline. The role of Harry Burns finally went to actor Billy Crystal, who was the perfect fit for the role.

However, before Crystal, the movie's director, Rob Reiner, had some other well-known actors in mind for the lead role, including Bill Murray, Albert Brooks, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, and Michael Keaton. Initially, Reiner was hesitant to cast Crystal in the role as he was one of his closest friends and he did not want the movie to affect their friendship, as per Decider. But the experience turned out to be great for both the director and the actor.

Reiner addressed the topic in an interview with Variety.

"It turned out way better than anything I could have imagined because not only was he great in the part, it made our friendship better," he said.

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Another interesting fact about the movie When Harry Met Sally is that the movie initially had a different ending, where Harry and Sally would part ways instead of ending up together.

As reported by Decider, both the movie's writer and director were going through divorces at the time of making the movie, and it influenced their decision for the initial ending. However, after meeting his current wife, Michele Singer, Reiner changed the ending to a happy one.

In a 2016 interview with The A.V. Club, the director opened up about the incident.

"Because at that time, I couldn’t figure out how I was going to get with anybody, so I just had them walking in opposite directions at the end,...And then I met the woman who became my wife during the making of the movie, and I changed the ending," he said.

It's safe to say that everything happened for the best, as When Harry Met Sally has one of the most heartfelt movie endings of all time. Viewers can watch the movie, which is currently available for streaming on Prime Video.