Billy Crystal reminisces about the time he encountered the late Princess Diana. Crystal, now 76, recounted the moment he saw the Princess of Wales' live reaction to the movie 'When Harry Met Sally' at the 1989 London premiere.
The actor humorously remarked that Princess Diana's response to Meg Ryan's iconic fake orgasm scene might have jeopardized her chances of a second date. 'She was unbelievable,' Crystal explained on 'The View.' 'We sat together. She was on my left, and Meg was on her left. So, it was me, [director Rob Reiner], Princess [Diana], and then Meg.'
They took their seats in the balcony of the theater, with trumpets blaring as they entered, a customary occurrence in every cinema. Meg, being her usual charming self, leaned forward and whispered, 'Do you believe who she is?' It was... crazy.
Crystal continued, describing how the audience eagerly awaited the scene where Ryan's character, Sally, loudly demonstrated how women can fake reaching a sexual climax, in front of Crystal's character, Harry, and all the other patrons at New York City's Katz's Deli.
'And then the deli scene happened, and the whole audience below us turned to see how the princess would react to Meg faking the orgasm,' he recounted. 'She started laughing—a big laugh,' Crystal mimicked a low, barking chuckle, quite unexpected from Princess Diana.
'[It was] the kind of laugh that if we were dating, I wouldn't see her again,' he quipped. 'The laugh. She's beautiful, but the laugh! But it was a spectacular, spectacular evening, and it was so great to meet her.'
During a 2019 'When Harry Met Sally' reunion panel with Ryan, Crystal, and director Reiner, Reiner explained that the scene required multiple takes and that he even stepped in for Ryan at one point to demonstrate how he wanted the moment to unfold. 'The first couple of times, it was like, 'I need it more, I need it more.' And then it was, 'Let me show you.' So I sat across from Billy,' Reiner recalled.
'He had an orgasm Mighty Joe Young would have been proud of,' Crystal joked. Crystal also remembered how many times Ryan had to act out the scene to get it right. 'On the other side of her, I ate 27 pastrami sandwiches,' the six-time Emmy Award winner said. 'For any Jew, that's a lot.'
'When Harry Met Sally' became a box office hit and remains a timeless comedy classic. The role of Sally marked Ryan's first leading role in a movie, and she earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
Crystal's latest project is an upcoming American drama psychological thriller titled 'Before.' Crystal executive produced and starred in the miniseries, which is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on October 25.
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