‘I Am the Luckiest Person Alive’

Romantic comedy icon Meg Ryan delighted a packed audience during an appearance at the Sarajevo Film Festival, revisiting some of her most famous roles in films like “When Harry Met Sally” and “You’ve Got Mail.” She also shared insights about her life and career in the film industry after turning 60.

“I don’t look at the downside very often. I am the luckiest person you’re ever going to meet,” Ryan remarked. “I have a charmed existence and I work with incredible people.”

Ryan attended the Bosnian festival to receive a lifetime achievement award and present her latest film, “What Happens Later.” She not only stars alongside David Duchovny in the romantic comedy but also directed, wrote, and executive produced the film. The plot revolves around ex-lovers who find themselves stranded by a snowstorm.

Additionally, Ryan presented a special screening of her 1998 hit romantic comedy “You’ve Got Mail” at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, the same venue where it premiered 25 years ago during the Sarajevo Film Festival’s fifth edition.

The festival’s masterclass, moderated by Academy Award-winning Bosnian director Danis Tanović (“No Man’s Land”), began with a clip from the famous deli scene in “When Harry Met Sally.” The scene drew enthusiastic applause from the Sarajevo audience, as it has consistently done over the past 35 years.

Ryan jokingly described co-star Billy Crystal as “the perfect person to fake an orgasm with” and added, “What a crazy thing to be famous for.”

The actor reminisced about her early days in the ’80s on the long-running soap opera “As the World Turns,” a job she took to help pay her way through NYU. Her breakthrough came with a scene-stealing role opposite Tom Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster “Top Gun.”

Her second film, “When Harry Met Sally,” was the first in a trio of career-defining romantic comedies written by the late Nora Ephron, including “You’ve Got Mail” and “Sleepless in Seattle.” Ryan praised Ephron’s ability to create inviting sets, comparing them to lively dinner parties filled with fascinating conversations.

Ryan’s latest directorial effort, “What Happens Later,” marks her second time directing after the 2015 film “Ithaca.” The new film is based on Steven Dietz’s play “Shooting Star” and follows two old flames who reconnect at an airport after their flights get snowed in.

Ryan, who is returning to the screen after an eight-year hiatus, highlighted the film’s tight production schedule and limited budget of $3 million. She noted that these challenges motivated her to make the movie, which was shot in three weeks.

“We had a very high bar of difficulty. We ended up shooting in a museum in Arkansas and couldn’t control the extras — we had to use real people. All of those constraints were fun challenges,” she said.

Reflecting on her varied performances, Ryan recalled the simple yet effective direction from Tony Scott on the set of “Top Gun,” diving into Carl Jung’s works for “Joe Versus the Volcano,” and the difficulty of playing a drunk in “When a Man Loves a Woman.” She also mentioned passing up the role of Clarice Starling in “Silence of the Lambs,” a decision she found fitting given Jodie Foster’s success with the role.

Discussing the limited roles for older women in Hollywood, Ryan acknowledged the challenges but also saw them as an impetus to explore new career paths. She emphasized that directing and producing offer more opportunities for creative expression and storytelling.

Ryan shared that she has a trio of upcoming projects: one in which she will star, one she will direct, and another she will both direct and produce. She expressed her love for storytelling and the sense of community it brings with both filmmakers and the audience.

“I’m just trying to tee up projects like that. You just throw all kinds of things at the wall until something sticks,” she said.

The Sarajevo Film Festival runs from August 16 to 23.

Source: Variety, MSN