STORY OF THE SHOT
When Harry Met Sally
HOW ICONIC IMAGES CAME TO LIFE
WORDS HELEN O’HARA
Mary Evans, Getty Image
THE ORIGIN
It’s not entirely to Hollywood’s credit that the most famous orgasm in film history is entirely fake — within the narrative as well as on set — because it speaks to the general prudishness of mainstream movies. Luckily for us, it’s at least hilarious. When Harry Met Sally’s infamous yet entirely chaste scene was born from a serious concern, as director Rob Reiner approached production on his 1989 romcom — that the audience wouldn’t hear many female insights into heterosexual dating, compared to the steady stream of opinions from Billy Crystal’s Harry. Reiner, along with screenwriter Nora Ephron, became convinced that Meg Ryan’s Sally needed to challenge Harry’s worldview in the same way he had often upended hers.