When Harry Met Sally... is one of Billy Crystal’s most iconic roles, but he almost didn’t get the part.
The 78-year-old acting legend recently revealed that late filmmaker Rob Reiner initially hesitated to cast Crystal, his close friend, as Harry Burns opposite Meg Ryan’s Sally Albright in the beloved 1989 romantic comedy.
“I was not Rob’s first choice for Harry,” Crystal admitted in an interview with People published Wednesday. “I said, if he wants me, then he wants me, but I know he’s seeing other people.”
He continued, “Then the call came: ‘I always knew it was you.’ He said, ‘Please read it.’ I said, ‘Someone snuck it to me. Guess what? I don’t like it.’ We laughed and laughed. He said, ‘We’ll start tomorrow.’”
When asked who Reiner had first chose for the part, Crystal recalled Albert Brooks, Tom Hanks and Michael Keaton being considered. However, he added with a grin: “Doesn’t matter.”
Reiner had told a similar story while speaking about the film on The Howard Stern Show in 2016.
“Now, to be completely honest, and Billy knows this, he was my best friend, and I was nervous about doing this with my best friend. What if this doesn’t work? What is this gonna do?” Reiner explained at the time.
He continued: “I had gone to Albert Brooks, I had gone to Tom Hanks, I had talked to Michael Keaton and Richard Dreyfuss. Then I said, ‘You know something? Billy’s the best one,’ and [he nailed it].
“And not only did he nail it, but he contributed like crazy,” Reiner said.
The director had also previously said that for the role of Sally, he considered stars like Molly Ringwald, Susan Dey and Elizabeth Perkins.
“But Meg and Billy hit it off right away,” Reiner told The Daily Beast on the film’s 25th anniversary in 2014.
Crystal and Reiner worked on several projects together after they first met as co-stars on All in the Family in 1975. Reiner featured Crystal in smaller roles in his 1984 feature directorial debut This Is Spinal Tap and his 1987 fairy tale film The Princess Bride.
The comedian pays tribute to Reiner in his new Broadway play 860, in which he reflects on his year of loss that began with his family home burning down in the Palisades fires in January 2025.
Reiner and his wife, Michele, were murdered at their Los Angeles home in December 2025.
Ten months later, Crystal told CBS Sunday Morning that the loss of his longtime friend was too overwhelming to comprehend. “No, it's too big,” he said in the recent interview. "It's so insane, because we were together the night before.”
Read More‘I don’t trust him’: Billy Crystal on relationship with God after Rob Reiner death
Pee-wee Herman’s most iconic possessions go up for auction after his death
Spider-Man star claims he was nearly cast as the next Jack Reacher
Paul McCartney reveals his main issue with Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopic
Ben Affleck claims Bruce Willis warned him off film that later won seven Oscars
John Boyega announces birth of first child after quietly marrying two years ago
