Meg Ryan Honors Late Rom-Com Legend Nora Ephron: ‘So Many Blessings in My Life Because of Her’ (Exclusive)

Meg Ryan has fond memories of Nora Ephron.

The actress co-wrote, directed and acted What happens laterher return to romantic comedies which she also dedicated to Ephron.

Ryan has made several films with Ephron, including Sleepless in Seattle and You have mailbefore the 2012 Oscar-nominated writer/director’s death.

Ryan, 61, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue that Ephron was “just the queen of setting the stage in terms of feeling.”

“She was very prepared. Her love for creating was contagious,” he recalls. “The set was like going to a great dinner. You just didn’t want to leave.”

Meg Ryan Reveals Why She Took ‘Big Break’ From Hollywood — And Why She’s Back With New Rom-Com (Exclusive)

David Duchovny and Meg Ryan in “What Happens Later”.

Bleecker Street

Ephron also co-wrote the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally…another one of the rom-coms that cemented Ryan as America’s Sweetheart, a label she doesn’t necessarily buy into.

“The idea of ​​a movie star is 100 percent projection,” she says. “So it’s really not personal, honestly. And I’m so happy because I can feel a lot of love in the world. People tell me that when they’re recovering from an illness or surgery they watch those movies. I don’t feel like anything negative happened.”

About his collaboration with Ephron and dedicating his new film to her, he adds, “I feel like I have so many blessings in my life, because of her actually. I just wanted to say thank you.”

For more of Ryan’s exclusive interview, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

John Russo

IN What happens later, Ryan and actor David Duchovny play exes who are stuck together at an airport during a storm. She says the themes reminded her of messages from her Ephron projects, “sentimental ideas” she “loves” to explore.

“Nora Ephron, the movies I did with her had an operative thing about kismet, like fate and fate, that fate holds you; you’re destined to be this person,” she explains. “There’s something really comforting about that. I think the same is true of this film.”

What happens later it’s in theaters on November 3.

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