Meg Ryan, the actress who charmed audiences in Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail, returns to the big screen in a romantic comedy that she also wrote, directed and produced. Eight years after her last Hollywood film, Ryan stars in What Happens Later as Willa, a woman who reunites with her former partner (David Duchovny, star of the X-Files series) while they are both stuck in an airport.
Meg Ryan explained that she spent three years working to bring the project to the screen and which is scheduled for American release on Friday. “It takes me a long time to do anything,” she said in an interview with Reuters, “so three of the eight years have been just work on this.”
What Happens Later is one of several films from independent production companies that received waivers from the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA, meaning the actors were free to promote the film despite the ongoing strike. David Duchovny praised the work of Meg Ryan in all her different roles in the film. “Meg takes this responsibility lightly, which is good,” he said. There was never a sense that she was overwhelmed or under pressure, which I’m sure she was from time to time.”
The release date of What Happens Later in France is not yet known.