Tom Hanks Almost Starred In A Classic ‘80s Rom-Com

With leading roles in Sleepless In Seatle and You’ve Got Mail, Tom Hanks became a staple in the romantic comedy genre throughout much of the 1990s. However, the actor’s wife, Rita Wilson, disclosed in a recent interview that Hanks once turned down a classic ‘80s rom-com.

During an appearance on iHeart Podcast’s Table for Two With Bruce Bozzi, Wilson revealed: “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.” She continued: “And so he could not understand that a person going through a divorce would have anything other than just like, ‘I’m so happy.’”

As fans of the much-loved romantic comedy will recall, the role of Harry Burns ultimately went to Billy Crystal, who starred opposite Meg Ryan (aka Sally Albright), the late Carrie Fisher, and Bruno Kirby. Prior to When Harry Met Sally’s release in 1989, Hanks had divorced his ex-wife, Samantha Lewis, and walked down the aisle with Wilson a year later in 1988.

Speaking to The Daily Beast back in 2014 to mark the film’s 25-year anniversary, When Harry Met Sally director Rob Reiner shared that Albert Brooks, Richard Dreyfuss, and Michael Keaton were also considered for the aforementioned role — and also revealed that lead stars Crystal and Ryan had “instant chemistry.”

“Billy was not a movie star at that point, and Meg, people didn’t even know,” Reiner recalled of the film’s early casting process. “Billy was my best friend at the time, so I thought he would be good in this part ... we held auditions and Meg read with Billy. They had instant chemistry and I thought, ‘OK, this is great.’”