Tom Hanks Rejected When Harry Met Sally Role, Didn’t Understand Character’s Sadness Over Being Single

Before co-starring in their own popular rom-coms in the 1990s, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan nearly played the leads in the classic film When Harry Met Sally. Released in 1989, When Harry Met Sally was directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron. The rom-com stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan as two people who finally come together romantically after years of chance encounters and failed relationships with other people. Released to big profits at the box office and widespread acclaim, the rom-com is among the most popular movies of its era, having since been selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry.

Crystal was clearly a good choice for the role of Harry, but that could have been Hanks if the Forrest Gump star hadn’t turned down the film. In a new interview on the iHeart podcast Table for Two With Bruce Bozzi (per Deadline), Wilson revealed the reason why her husband rejected the movie. She says that at the time, Hanks was unable to relate to a character who was feeling sad about being single, as behind the scenes, the actor was overjoyed to have separated from his then-wife. As Wilson explains:

“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,” Wilson said. “And so he could not understand that a person going through a divorce would have anything other than just like, ‘I’m so happy.”

Related: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Celebrate 35th Anniversary

Tom Hanks Would Get the Chance to Co-Star With Meg Ryan in Other Well-Known Rom-Coms

Hanks would eventually get his chance to create movies with Ryan in subsequent years, not just once, but three times. In 1990, they would co-star in John Patrick Shanley’s dark comedy Joe Versus the Volcano. The bizarre film stars Hanks as a man who plans to throw himself into a volcano after being told he has six months to live, but on the way, he meets and falls in love with a character played by Ryan.

They also both starred in 1993’s Sleepless in Seattle, which was also directed and co-written by When Harry Met Sally writer Nora Ephron. That film starred Ryan as a journalist who falls for a widowed architect played by Hanks. It was also a heavy hitter at the box office and was met with great acclaim, standing tall as one of the most successful rom-coms ever.

Ephron would later reunite Hanks and Ryan for the 1998 rom-com You’ve Got Mail. Inspired by the rise of e-mail in the era, the film stars Hanks and Ryan as two people who fall in love online, unaware that they are simultaneously business rivals. As with their prior Ephron collaboration, the film scored big profits in movie theaters during its theatrical run.

If you want to revisit When Harry Met Sally, you are in luck, as the movie is currently streaming for free on the free streaming platform Tubi.