SEATTLE — The Meg Ryan rom-com drought is over.
She directed, co-wrote and stars in new romantic comedy “What Happens Later.”
Ryan plays Willa, a magical-thinking woman on a trip. She runs into William (David Duchovny,) her ex-boyfriend from 25 years earlier, in a small airport. When weather temporarily traps them in the terminal, the star-crossed lovers hash out their past.
Entertainment reporter Kim Holcomb talked to Ryan and Duchovny about the film, a dedication to writer/director Nora Ephron, and their real-life travel experiences.
HOLCOMB: "What snack are you most likely to get at the airport?"
RYAN: "Pretzels.”
DUCHOVNY: “Hmm. Fig Newtons.”
RYAN: “Whoa.”
HOLCOMB: “Oh, that's an interesting one.”
DUCHOVNY: “That might not even be true.”
RYAN: “That's not even always available."
DUCHOVNY: “I just want them now. I got confused.”
HOLCOMB: "Early arriver or last-minute sprinter?”
RYAN: “Last minute sprinter!”
DUCHOVNY: “Oh man, if I could I would jump on that plane as the door is closing. Last minute. You know when they say, ‘Do you want to board first?’ I'm like no, I want to board after it lands."
HOLCOMB: "Have you ever gotten drunk at the airport?”
DUCHOVNY: “Oh God, yes.”
RYAN: “No, I don't drink.”
DUCHOVNY: “Oh, you don't drink?”
RYAN: “No.”
DUCHOVNY: “Stoned?”
RYAN: (laughing) “Yes.”
DUCHOVNY: “She's gotten stoned at the airport.”
RYAN: “Before.”
DUCHOVNY: “That's illegal. It's legal to get drunk at the airport, but not to be as high as she's been."
RYAN: “Help me.”
HOLCOMB: "Did you trust David driving that golf cart?"
RYAN: "Of course, yeah - I'd rather he drive that than me, myself.”
DUCHOVNY: “Well yeah, I agree with that."
HOLCOMB: "This is the honest truth - Meg, ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ is truly one of the reasons that I live here now."
RYAN: “I loved going there, I loved being there, are you kidding? Oh yeah. I lived on the water, on Mercer Island.”
DUCHOVNY: “It's beautiful.”
RYAN: “Have you spent time there?”
DUCHOVNY: “I've been in Vancouver a lot.”
RYAN: “That's not the same.”
DUCHOVNY: “It's similar. In Seattle, you say 'about' and in Vancouver you say 'aboot.' That's the only difference between the two cities.”
RYAN: “Be careful man.”
DUCHOVNY: “I've screwed myself before, I think I just did it again. I love you, Canada.”
RYAN: “David loves you, Canada."
HOLCOMB: "Meg, I did love that this film was dedicated 'For Nora.'"
RYAN: "I really just was so happy that we were all able to do that, and to get that dedication before the director's credit - the director's guild is really proprietary about the first thing you see in the credits sequence being the director's credit, so they had to give us a waiver and unanimously they agreed to do that for us."
HOLCOMB: "To quote the movie - was making this film a trip or a journey?”
DUCHOVNY: “It is a trip. Only is retrospect does it become a journey. Like, you've taken this trip, and then when you start to put the narrative on it and start to make sense of it, then it becomes a journey.”
RYAN: “Then you understand the arc of your experience.”
DUCHOVNY: “If I had a mic, I'd drop it.”
RYAN: “He drops the mic!”
HOLCOMB: “You have Aristotle and you have Duchovny, and they're both equal.”
RYAN: “Aristotle. Fantastic! This is the best interview we've had, hands-down. Thank you so much for that."
“What Happens Later” is rated R and opens in theaters November 3.
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