Fans of Meg Ryan will remember her 2003 interview with the BBC as it became known as one of British TV’s strangest media interactions. At the time, the When Harry Met Sally actress was declared Hollywood’s sweetheart and queen of the rom-com genre. But she suddenly broke away from her clichéd style with Jane Campion’s erotic thriller The Cut.
This change did not go down well with audiences and the press and subsequently, UK interviewer Michael Parkinson slyly criticized her for appearing naked on screen. As the interview progressed, Parkinson became more impatient and the actress’s answers became increasingly short. Finally, when she asked what she would do if he asked the same question, Ryan immediately responded, “Finish.”
In a recent interview with The Times of London, the Sleepless in Seattle actress reflected on the distressing encounter. “I thought it was pretty bad,” she said. Since American talk shows usually had breaks, the actress expected this during her conversation with the BBC. “I kept waiting for the break because I was about to stand up and leave. But the break never came,” Ryan recalled.
When asked if he questioned Parkinson after the interview ended, Ryan declined, saying he was not interested. I have. I said, ‘Wow, I didn’t know who that guy was at first, and I don’t have to think twice about it,'” she said.
According to Deadline, the interviewer admitted in 2021 that he regretted asking the actress passive-aggressive questions and that he did not believe it was one of her best moments. Ryan had earned praise for his back-to-back roles in the Nora Ephron films When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail.
In a recent interview, he fondly remembered Efron and how he helped shape his career. Ryan revealed that every bit of advice the author gave her, from the right type of dinner table to what type of guy she should marry, proved to be spot on.
The actress recently turned director for the 2023 rom-com What Happens Later. She played opposite David Duchovny in the film, playing a former couple who meet each other in a deserted airport.