We’ll have what they’re having: Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal gave the Oscars a When Harry Met Sally reunion it didn’t know it needed.
The former costars took the stage to present the night’s top honor, Best Picture, to Anora, and as they did so When Harry Met Sally‘s score played in the background.
“So we’re here to present the award for Best Picture,” Ryan said, as Crystal, who previously hosted the annual awards shindig nine times, quipped, “And it’s great, because I used to work here.” Ryan then asked him when the first time was, and he joked, “Nine tuxedos ago. Actually my first time hosting it was 35 years ago this month. It’s weird because on my IMDB page, I’m 47.”
In true Sally fashion, she hurried her stage partner along, telling him, “That’s a lot of numbers, Bill. Let’s just cut to the chase.”
Referencing their film’s iconic ending, Crystal then obliged, telling the audience, “You’re right, because when you have a chance of being an Oscar winner for the rest of your life, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” (In the film, Harry chases down Sally at a New Year’s Eve party to tell her, “And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”)
The Oscars reunion isn’t the only pairing the duo have said yes, yes, yes to in recent weeks. In February, in honor of the film’s 35th anniversary, Crystal and Ryan joined forces for a Super Bowl commercial in which they revived the titular characters to recreate the 1989 rom-com’s iconic fake orgasm scene in Katz’s Delicatessen.
Columbia/Courtesy Everett Collection
Directed by Rob Reiner and written by the late Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally follows the iconic friends-turned-lovers as they keep meeting in a series of chance encounters over the course of 12 years. As their friendship evolves, the film (and its characters) seek to answer the question, “Can men and women ever just be friends?” (Spoiler alert: They cannot.)
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The Oscars and Super Bowl reunions aren’t the only times the pair have paid homage to the rom-com over the years: Crystal dressed up as Harry as part of his 75th birthday celebrations in 2023, and the duo honored the film’s 30th anniversary together at the TCM Classic Film Festival in 2019, where they shared behind-the-scenes secrets about its original ending and divulged how they shot the aforementioned deli scene.
The Best Picture-winning Anora had a banner night on Sunday: Winning Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Director (all for Sean Baker) and Best Actress, for Mikey Madison. In Best Picture, the film beat out fellow nominees Wicked, The Brutalist, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Nickel Boys, The Substance, Dune: Part II, and I’m Still Here.