Meg Ryan names the best director she ever worked with: “You wouldn’t want the movie to end”
It must be a true joy to work with a director who makes shooting feel like some cloudless dream, the stress of making a film melting away as like-minded brains meet, an innate understanding harnessed by an imaginary string tying two creative minds together.
American actor Meg Ryan has worked with many great directors throughout her career, although now she seems to be focusing on taking the helm herself. She has directed a few films over recent years, most recently the 2023 romantic comedy What Happens Next? – in which she starred alongside David Duchovny – with the actor taking inspiration from certain figures who shaped her career as an actor.
From big names like Oliver Stone and Tony Scott to Rob Reiner and Jane Campion, Ryan boasts an impressive repertoire, but it’s writer/director Nora Ephron whom she holds as her biggest influence, which makes sense when considering their rom-com ties. The pair first collaborated in 1989 when Ryan was cast in Ephron’s When Harry Met Sally…, which she wrote and produced while Reiner directed.
Widely considered one of the greatest rom-coms of all time, Ephron’s script is as witty as it is emotive and intelligent, offering poignant observations on the ins and outs of dating and the unending conversation that exists around the ever-changing dynamics between men and women. Can men and women ever just be friends?
Ephron then began directing in the mid-1990s, and her most memorable contributions were two Ryan rom-coms, both starring Tom Hanks, which really came to encapsulate the genre’s ‘90s peak. Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail are two charming pieces of work, and Ryan is their beating heart, offering plenty of charm and relatability to her characters.
Both films were widely praised, and they radiate Ephron’s deeply personal yet familiar approach to romance, as we can see elements of ourselves in these characters, who can be flawed and frustrating at times, but we’ll always root for them, because Ephron reminds us just how important acts of love are: everyone deserves to experience pure, genuine love, and Ephron translates this perfectly onto the screen as her characters embark on messy quests for romantic and personal fulfilment.
Talking to RogerEbert.com, Ryan detailed her love for working with Ephron, who sadly passed away in 2012 when she was just 71. “She just had such joy in creating them, and she loved being there so much. Those days would end, and you wouldn’t want the day to end. You wouldn’t want the movie to end.”
She continued, “I’m pretty sure we all felt that way. We didn’t want it to be over. So it was about the environment and keeping it like that.”
Emphasising the engaging and encouraging atmosphere that Ephron championed, Ryan continued, “I once heard Hugh Grant say something about rom-coms being a balloon in a world of pins. And it’s true, like you don’t want it to be a world of pins. You want to keep the balloons floating in that. And Nora was great at that, keeping it pin-free.”
