Queen of rom-com Meg Ryan opens up about returning to the genre with new film: 'I'm proud of that'

It's been a while since we have seen Hollywood's queen of romantic comedies on screen. Meg Ryan, last seen in the 2015 drama film "Ithaca," took a long hiatus from the industry, but her fans have a pleasant surprise up ahead. Ryan is all set to return to her rom-com roots with her upcoming film "What Happens Later." The 61-year-old "Sleepless in Seattle" actress will share the screen opposite "The X Files" fame David Duchovny.

But Ryan would not just be acting as the female lead in this film because she has taken up the extra responsibility of directing and screenwriting this flick. "Truly, the easiest part was acting in it. I want to direct again just so I can sit in the chair because I'm sure there's a lot of things I missed," the veteran star explained in a chat with Carol Burnett for Interview Magazine. "I hadn't done a role in a really long time, but it was fun with David. A lot of it was done in two shots. I'm proud of that."

Ryan also talked about how she had met her 63-year-old co-star only a couple of times, ages ago, before their appearance in the new film. "I set up everything beforehand so that once we were there, it was just David and I trying to tell the truth," Ryan continued. Her upcoming film was shot over 21 nights in Arkansas. "I think you did a great job. The chemistry between you and David was absolute magic," Burnett gushed.

During the interview, Ryan also looked back at one of her memorable filming experiences from her classic rom-com "When Harry Met Sally." She recalled how the now-iconic scene of her infamous "fake orgasm" at a deli was shot "over and over again" and how her grown-up children reacted to it later. "Yeah. It's funny, my son just called me this morning and he's in New York staying at a hotel that's right across the street from Katz's Deli," Ryan said. Her son, Jack Quaid, told her that when people "go into that deli there's an arrow pointing down to the table where she shot that scene."

The actress established herself as the undisputed queen of rom-coms, starting in the late 80s. Ryan, who starred in successful projects such as "You've Got Mail" and "French Kiss," shared her thoughts on the genre in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "These rom-coms really work when the two characters are somehow opposites and yet have a rhythm of intellect and humor and dialogue and banter that sort of indicates their compatibility," she told the outlet.

However, her comeback film faced a bit of a hurdle upon fixing its release date. According to The Independent, the film's distributor announced that the film will have a delayed release to avoid competing with Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" movie. Both of the films were scheduled to release on October 13, 2023, but Ryan's film release got pushed to November 3 instead. We look forward to welcoming Ryan as the rom-com royalty that she is once again.