The director of the beloved 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally has revealed the very drastic alternative ending he had originally planned for the hit film and why he ultimately changed it.
Acclaimed actor, filmmaker and director Rob Reiner, 76, spoke about the making of the film during a recent appearance on CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, and admitted that he actually had a much sadder conclusion planned for Harry Burns and Sally Albright.
As fans know, the movie ended with Harry running to a New Christmas Eve party where Sally was there to profess her love once and for all, giving a emotional speech in which he listed all the things he adored about her.
The romantic gesture was a satisfactory ending, but According to director Rob, Harry and Sally’s love story was supposed to end very differently.
The director of the beloved 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally has revealed the very drastic alternative ending he had originally planned for the hit film.
Rob Reiner, 76, admitted that he actually had a much sadder conclusion planned for Harry Burns and Sally Albright during a recent appearance on CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace.
As fans know, the movie ended with Harry running to a New Year’s Eve party Sally was at to profess his love for her once and for all, and the romantic gesture was a satisfying ending.
He told host Chris, 76, that his initial plans for the film involved them not ending up together.
‘Do you want to hear something interesting about that? [movie]? The original ending of the movie we had was that Harry and Sally weren’t together,” she shared.
Rob, who was married to actress Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981, explained that because his own relationship had ended in divorce, he didn’t want to give the characters a happy ending.
“I had been single for 10 years and couldn’t imagine how I was going to be with anyone, and that [feeling] gave rise to When Harry Met Sally,” the filmmaker recalled.
‘I hadn’t met anyone. So the two were going to see each other after years, talk, and then walk away from each other.
But Rob added that his entire perspective changed after meeting his current wife, Michele Singer, in the middle of filming the movie.
The two married in 1989, the same year the film was released, and have been together ever since.
“I met my wife, Michelle, who I’ve been married to for 35 years, while we were making the movie and I changed the ending,” he continued.
But according to Rob, Harry and Sally’s love story was supposed to end very differently. He told host Chris, 76, that his initial plans for the film involved them not ending up together.
Rob, who was married to actress Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981 (seen together in 1970), explained that since he was single, he didn’t want to give the characters a happy ending.
He explained: “I had been single for 10 years and I couldn’t imagine how I was going to be with anyone, and that [feeling] gave rise to When Harry Met Sally’
But Rob added that his entire perspective changed after meeting his current wife, Michele Singer, in the middle of filming the movie. They are seen in 2018.
Chris asked him, “So we owe that touching ending, and I mean this in the highest form of praise, to Michelle?” to which Rob replied: “That’s right.”
“I met my wife, Michelle, who I’ve been married to for 35 years, while we were making the movie and I changed the ending,” he shared.
The film, starring Billy Crystal as Harry and Meg Ryan as Sally, follows two college friends who drifted apart but came back into each other’s lives after they coincidentally bump into each other in a bookstore 10 years later.
Although they initially tried to be friends, little by little the two began to fall in love with each other.
After a series of awkward intimate moments and an argument that nearly broke them up, the film concluded with the two walking down the aisle after Harry’s heartfelt New Year’s Eve speech, which is still quoted even now, decades later.
Rob rose to fame after starring on the CBS sitcom All in the Family from 1971 to 1979, which earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
In addition to When Harry Met Sally, he has directed many other major films such as The Sure Thing, Stand by Me, The Princess Bride, Misery, A Few Good Men, and The American President, to name a few.