Rita Wilson spills: Tom Hanks rejected big ’80s film.

Tom Hanks’ Missed Opportunity: Turning Down “When Harry Met Sally”

Tom Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, recently revealed a major role that Hanks turned down in the 1980s. This would have been his first collaboration with his three-time co-star, Meg Ryan.

During Wilson’s appearance on the “Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi” podcast, she shared that Hanks had been offered the lead role in the 1989 hit film, “When Harry Met Sally,” as reported by Fox News.

According to Wilson, Hanks couldn’t quite relate to the main character’s feeling of helplessness about the end of his marriage because he was going through a divorce from his first wife, Samantha Lewes, and was happy to be single. Wilson explained, “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 be not married.”

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A post shared by Rita Wilson (@ritawilson)

“And so, he could not understand that a person going through a divorce would have anything other than just like, ‘I’m so happy,'” Wilson added, referring to Hanks’ inability to relate to the character in “When Harry Met Sally.”

Hanks and Ryan eventually collaborated in the 1990 comedy “Joe Versus the Volcano,” but their biggest box office successes came with “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993) and “You’ve Got Mail” (1998).

The lead male role in “When Harry Met Sally” went to Billy Crystal instead, and his performance in the film remains one of his most memorable. Crystal recently celebrated his birthday with a fun side-by-side image on Twitter, comparing himself now to a scene from the rom-com.

Thank you all.. pic.twitter.com/EySEYTBJMc

— Billy Crystal (@BillyCrystal) March 14, 2023

He simply captioned it, “Thank you all…”

Reflecting on his iconic role, Crystal expressed his joy in being part of the movie-making process. He said, “Not that anything is ever easy, but it was just such a joy to see it come to life. The movie is beautiful and simple and appropriate, and every shot is just right.”

Hanks and Wilson have been married since 1988 and have two sons together. Hanks was previously married to Lewes from 1978-1987, and they also have two children.

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