Yahoo Lifestyle Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal Have Thoughts on That Sydney Sweeney Cameo
Rom-com royalty Meg Ryan may have just named her successor.
The When Harry Met Sally star reunited with her on-screen love interest, Billy Crystal, to film an iconic 2025 Super Bowl commercial for Hellmann's. A nod to the movie's most famous scene, the ad brings Harry and Sally back to Katz's Delicatessen. The main difference this time around — apart from Hellmann's mayonnaise being what Sally's sandwich needs to make it really pleasurable — is actress Sydney Sweeney's surprise cameo at the end.
Sydney delivers the iconic "I'll have what she's having" line, made famous by director Rob Reiner's mother, Estelle Reiner, in the 1989 classic.
Every detail of the 30-second spot is a loving tribute, from the costumes to the dialogue. At the "When Sally Met Hellmann's" Big Game Spot premiere party on January 28, the ad's director, Jake Szymanski, revealed that they even used the same camera lenses as the original film — an Easter egg no viewer would catch, but a testament to the team's dedication.
Sydney's casting was just as intentional. They could have chosen any celebrity, but the Anyone But You star, at 27, might just be this generation's Meg Ryan.
Good Housekeeping caught up with Meg and Billy to reminisce about When Harry Met Sally and how it feels to introduce the beloved film to new audiences 35 years later.
"I hope those who have loved this movie for all of these years, and the new audiences too, that they'll see it and think what a great send-up it is," Billy told us. "It was like seeing old friends up there."
"There were probably five or 10 times as many people there for this commercial as when we shot it originally," Meg added. "And the affection that everybody already held for that scene was really sweet. There were a lot of extras that are in this commercial who just got such a big kick out of being there. It was sweet to really be in a day-long experience of how that scene is appreciated."
Billy also spoke to "the reverence" from those on set. "I heard people whispering, 'There they are, there they are.' It was very charming in that way."
And when it came to Sydney's role, both Meg and Billy sang her praises.
"We loved meeting Sydney Sweeney," said Meg. "She's a doll. And pretty brave to come into that environment. She was loose and funny — and I have to say, if I put myself in her shoes, oh my god it'd be a little intimidating walking into that set at this time. She was just fantastic. She was really impressive. Sweet and ballsy and great."
"I thought it was an inspired idea," Billy added of Sydney's inclusion. "She was so respectful of Meg. She looked at her adoringly and with great respect and admiration; she was humbled by it."
Talk about a collab that really hits the spot!
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