'When Harry Met Sally' Director Rob Reiner Opens Up About Filming Awkward Scene With His Mom Present

It’s one of the most iconic scenes in rom-com history: Meg Ryan, a pastrami sandwich, and a very public, very fake orgasm. But for director Rob Reiner, filming the legendary deli scene in “When Harry Met Sally” was less about cinematic genius and more about pure, unadulterated awkwardness. Why? Because his own mother was sitting just a few feet away, waiting to deliver her killer line.

Meg and Mom

If you missed “When Harry Met Sally,” there’s one show-stopping scene where Sally (Meg Ryan) boldly illustrates to Harry (Billy Crystal) how easy it s for a woman to fake pleasure. She does it right in the middle of a diner, because of course.

So imagine trying to direct an actress on the finer points of faking ecstasy, complete with table-pounding and guttural screams, all while your mom watches. It sounds like a scene from a cringe comedy, but for Reiner, it was just another day at the office. An incredibly uncomfortable day.

The Awkwardness of Directing THAT Scene

In a recent interview on “60 Minutes,” Rob Reiner finally spilled the tea on what it was really like to create that unforgettable moment at Katz’s Delicatessen. Apparently, Meg Ryan wasn’t quite hitting the mark and going “full out” in the first few takes. Her performance was a little too subdued, not quite the over-the-top spectacle the scene demanded.

So, what’s a director to do? Reiner, ever the hands-on professional, decided he had to show her exactly what he wanted. He sat down across from Billy Crystal and proceeded to act out the entire orgasmic performance himself. Reiner recalled:

And I’m pounding the table, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’’ And I’m realizing I’m having an orgasm in front of my mother, you know? There’s my mother over there.

That’s right. The woman who would deliver the iconic line, “I’ll have what she’s having,” was none other than Estelle Reiner, Rob’s actual mother. While her deadpan delivery cemented the scene’s comedic brilliance, her presence turned the filming process into a Freudian nightmare for her son. It’s one thing to direct a racy scene; it’s another to perform it for your mom!

How a Happy Ending (and a Happy Marriage) Changed Everything

That famous scene isn’t the only behind-the-scenes secret Reiner has shared. The original ending for “When Harry Met Sally” was, well, far less optimistic. Initially, Harry and Sally were not supposed to end up together. Reiner, who was going through a divorce at the time, was feeling pretty cynical about love, and the original script reflected that.

But then, life imitated art. During the making of the film, Reiner met his now-wife, Michele Singer. He fell in love, and his newfound happiness completely altered his perspective on the story. He then realized he couldn’t subject his characters to a bleak, lonely ending when he had just found his own happy ending. So, he rewrote the ending we all know, the “race” at New Year’s Auld Lang Syne. This gave Harry and Sally the romantic reconciliation that made audiences swoon for decades. It just goes to show that sometimes, the best movie magic happens off-screen.

Rob Reiner’s Relatable Films

Rob Reiner has given us some of the most beloved films of a generation. He’s given us “Spinal Tap” (both of ‘em!), the fun swashbuckling adventures of “The Princess Bride” to the chilling suspense of “Misery.” But it’s the hilarious, heartfelt, and painfully relatable moments in “When Harry Met Sally” that continue to define Rob Reiner’s legacy. And now we know that one of its most memorable and legendary scenes was fueled by a healthy dose of professional dedication – and a whole freakin’ lot of mother-son awkwardness.