Meg Ryan Jokes Billy Crystal Made 'Faking an Orgasm' Easy in “When Harry Met Sally”
"The scene came really natural to me, and I really have Billy to thank for that," the actress joked in a speech for Crystal's Kennedy Center Honor
Gail Schulman/CBS via Getty Images; Paul Morigi/Getty Images
Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal at the 46th Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 3, 2023Meg Ryan will always have what Billy Crystal is having.
The actress playfully roasted her When Harry Met Sally costar on Sunday night in Washington, D.C., where Crystal was being recognized at the 46th Kennedy Center Honors.
During her speech, Ryan, 62, made a reference to the famous scene in their 1989 rom-com in which her character Sally fakes an orgasm while dining at New York City's Katz's Delicatessen, to the horror and bemusement of Harry (Crystal, 75) and the restaurant's other patrons.
"The scene came really naturally to me, and I really have Billy to thank for that," Ryan said. "I've actually never been around anyone who made faking an orgasm easier. So thank you, Billy."
She added, "As his wife Janice has known for over 50 years, falling in love with Billy is a pretty easy thing to do."
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Crystal spoke to When Harry Met Sally's long-lasting impact while speaking with PEOPLE on the red carpet prior to Sunday night's event, expressing his gratitude for costar Ryan.
“We were thrown together by [director Rob Reiner and screenwriter Nora Ephron], chosen to be this couple and you never know — almost 35 years later, we’re still a couple to everybody," the actor and comedian said.
"As you get further along and new generations see this movie and feel it and watch it over and over again on Valentine’s Day, on New Year’s Eve, whatever it is," Crystal added. "You know, people fall in love every day, and people fall out of love every day. This movie is an evergreen that way. It’s a beautiful thing."
Ryan recently returned to the rom-com genre with her new movie What Happens Later. She produced, directed, cowrote and starred in the movie after having not appeared on the big screen since her directorial debut with 2015's Ithaca.
"I’m so happy she got to direct again," Crystal told PEOPLE of Ryan's most recent film. "We’re very lucky.”
President Joe Biden offered congratulations to this year’s Kennedy Center honorees — Crystal plusQueen Latifah, Barry Gibb, Dionne Warwick and Renée Fleming — as they were celebrated for their achievements in the arts Sunday evening.
“It’s simple as it is profound,” Biden, 81, said in remarks at a White House reception ahead of the ceremony. “The performing arts are more than just sound and scene. They reflect who we are as Americans and as human beings.”
The president offered tributes to each of the honorees, beginning with actor and comedian Crystal.
“In New York City, you can walk a few blocks and you can circle the Earth in just a few blocks. Eight million people of every background in most — in the most alive city, probably, in America. And that’s just one guy who makes everyone stop and laugh, Billy Crystal,” Biden said.
"Billy grew up sweeping the floor of his family’s music shop on 42nd Street, and he became America’s most celebrated comedian, actor, and writer on screen and on stage," the president continued. "What I admire most about him is his heart — his heart that reminds us to love and care for one another — raising awareness and funds to end cancer, fighting homelessness, help a city rebuild after 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy and so much more."
The 46th Kennedy Center Honors will be broadcasted on Wednesday, Dec. 27, on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
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