Last December, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan returned to Katzs Delicatessen on New Yorks Lower East Side for the first time since their 1989 romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally was released.
The occasion was a Super Bowl commercial for Hellmanns mayonnaise, a spot in which Ryan and Crystal reprise their respective roles as Sally Albright and Harry Burns to recreate one of the most famous scenes in comedy history, at the same table where the original moment was filmed 35 years earlier.
They both said they hadnt been back inside Katzs since they shot the scene, and so we got to be there for the moment when they both walked on set, says director Jake Szymanski, speaking at the commercials premiere, which was held in the iconic deli Tuesday evening. They also hadnt seen each other in a couple years. So we got to see them walk back into this place, and the memories flood back, and they start remembering and sharing stories and talking about what it was like to film that day. The commercial recreates the Ill have what shes having scene with Ryan enjoying (really, really enjoying) a turkey sandwich with Hellmanns mayo, as Crystal watches on while eating a pastrami sandwich (this ones real, Crystal quips). As for who could deliver that iconic scene-ending line, the mayo brand turned to a modern-day rom-com star: Sydney Sweeney.
There was some talk early on about who are we gonna get for the cameo role? Whos gonna end the spot? Its such an iconic line, and When Harry Met Sally is such an iconic rom-com and a moment for Meg, obviously, that were recreating, Szymanski said. And I kind of like that Sydney is emerging as this new rom-com star so I like that it was kind of like a mini passing of the torch to the next generation to have her at the end.
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Still, the pressure was on for Szymanski and the cast and crew.
You dont want to screw it up, the director said, adding that they shot the scene on the same lens that Rob Reiner used 35 years ago. We just wanted to do it right and make it look right when you have celebrities like this who are doing something iconic, you want to try to make something that feels like only they could have done it.
He also said that, compared to some other shoots he had done, the Hellmanns spot had fewer curveballs. Addressing Jessica Grigoriou, Unilevers VP of marketing for condiments, he noted that the mayo brand locked in most of the big pieces, including the rights to the film (which is owned by Warner Bros.), the talent and the deli.
You guys showed up and you said, Weve got Billy Crystal; Meg Ryan is in, and Katzs is ready to shoot it there. And a lot of times in the commercial world, you sign up, and its more like, I think were gonna get Billy, and Megs almost definitely in, and were gonna shoot it at the real place, and then, you know, it ends up being a spot with two 11-year-olds in a sandbox. And youre like, what was the original idea? he quipped. Obviously, Im a huge fan of the movie, and its also commercial where I feel like you integrated Hellmanns really well. Its not forcing itself to be somewhere it shouldnt, so its a good spot for the product, so everything kind of fit together.
And of course, no Super Bowl ad is complete these days without a real-life extension.
Hellmanns and Katzs will be a selling a What Shes Having sandwich package that can be shipped across the country. It includes all the ingredients for the turkey sandwich featured in the spot, as well as a pastrami sandwich. And Hellmanns mayo, of course.