“I’ll have what she’s having.” Estelle Reiner’s snappy, wit-filled line of dialogue fromWhen Harry Met Sally…is but one of many memorable moments that elevate director Rob Reiner’s 1989 tale of love and friendship to arguably the pinnacle of the romantic comedy genre.When Harry Met Sally…frequently features in Top Rom-Com lists — and many times the movie sits at the peak of those lists. When it comes to the most talked about scene in the movie, Meg Ryan’s faked orgasm had a “unique” effect on actress Meg Ryan’s kids. Ryan told Carol Burnett inInterview Magazine:
“Yeah, it’s funny. My son just called me this morning, and he’s in New York staying at a hotel that’s right across the street from Katz’s Deli. My daughter was here, and everybody was on speaker. And they were like, ‘Mom, this is a very unique embarrassment [laughs]. You know you can go into that deli and there’s an arrow pointing down to the table where you shot that scene.’”
Ryan’s 19-year-old daughter, Daisy True, rarely appears in the public eye. However, Ryan’s son Jack Quaid (My Adventures with Superman, The Boys, Oppenheimer) is a major player in Hollywood who has followed in the footsteps of his mother and father, Dennis Quaid.
Related:The 30 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time, Ranked
Meg Ryan Sold the Fake Orgasm in When Harry Met Sally.
Meg Ryan, of course, portrays the part of Sally Albright inWhen Harry Met Sally…alongside the other half of the Einstein-ian acting equation that makes the film such a classic: Billy Crystal. The rom-com was written by the lateNora Ephron(Heartburn, Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail). However, the famous line in the Katz’s Deli scene was not penned by Ephron. As the moment passed, it was Crystal who suggested that one of the customers in the delicatessen — one of the many who witnessed Sally faking it — say, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Check out the image below:
Ultimately, Reiner thought it would be hilarious if he put his mother, Estelle, in the movie. And she is the patron in Katz’s Deli who says the famous line, which is ranked No. 33 on the American Film Institute’s (AFI) 100 Years… 100 Movie Quotes list. The honor is quite deserving as the punchline truly aggrandizes the already wonderful rom-com.
Ryan’s son, Jack Quaid, might have been just as embarrassed by the scene as Daisy True. However, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly back in 2018, Quaid admitted to crying after watchingWhen Harry Met Sally… Quaid toldEW:
“I cried for so long because I was so proud of her. And I immediately called her, and I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry I missed this movie.’ She’s like, ‘I’ve seen it like one time.’ Anyway, that’s my favorite of hers.”
When Harry Met Sally…ranks No. 2 onMovieWeb’s 30 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time. And for those cinephiles who haven’t had the opportunity to see the rom-com yet, the film is currently streaming on Max and Amazon Prime Video. And check out the incomparable Meg Ryan faking the famous film orgasm below:
