Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal Reunite at Katz’s Deli for Hellmann’s Ad

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal reunited at Katz’s Deli more than 35 years after filming the iconic orgasm scene in “When Harry Met Sally” for a new Hellmann's mayonnaise commercial. The ad, released last week, sees the pair reprising their roles as Sally and Harry, revisiting the famous New York City deli where the original scene was shot.

In the 60-second spot, Crystal’s Harry quips, “I can’t believe they let us back in this place,” to which Ryan’s Sally responds, “Why?” The duo then bites into their sandwiches, with Sally declaring hers “isn’t doing it” until she adds a generous serving of Hellmann’s mayonnaise. Ryan then re-enacts her famous performance, prompting a cameo from actress Sydney Sweeney, who delivers the classic line, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

“It was our 35th anniversary of the film, and it’s the first time that we’ve been offered something like that,” Crystal told PEOPLE. “It was a really fun idea, and the approach was right.” Ryan echoed his sentiments, praising Hellmann’s for their respect for the original material. “They came to us with just an enormous amount of respect for that, for the source material and for the characters,” she said.

The original scene, written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner, became one of the most memorable moments in romantic comedy history. Crystal recalled the scene’s origins, noting it stemmed from a script meeting where the “concept of women faking orgasms” was discussed. “I think it just took everyone’s breath away,” he said.

Ryan, who was 28 at the time of filming, remembered feeling nervous during the original shoot. “Initially, it was like, ‘Oh, what are these sounds going to be?’ All the levels. I don’t know if I’m going to get help,” she said. Reiner, however, provided ample guidance, offering “significant and interesting sounds” to inspire her performance.

Both actors praised Sweeney, who stepped into the role of delivering the iconic line originally spoken by Reiner’s mother, Estelle. “She’s adorable,” Crystal said. “That’s a big deal. It’s an iconic line and it’s a big honor to get to do that. And a heavy burden.” Ryan added, “It was game and fun and loose and ballsy and just seemed to be having a blast while she was there. She’s a completely adorable person.”

The commercial also paid tribute to Sally’s notoriously specific ordering style, which Ryan said she adopted after playing the character. “I didn’t know that you could order like that until I played Sally,” she said. “I didn’t realize that you could be that specific.”

The ad, which aired during the Super Bowl, has reignited interest in the beloved film and its enduring cultural impact. “It pays off the way both Sally’s funny is behavioral, Harry’s funny is more verbal and reactive,” Ryan said of the original scene. “That was important, how Billy reacted to her. So it just sort of pulled all together in one scene, everything about the characters and sort of delivered on the promise of the premise.”