People We Meet on Vacation’s Emily Bader Reacts to Meg Ryan Comparison

Emily Bader will have what Meg Ryan is having. 

After being compared to Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally – both by fans and her People We Meet on Vacation co-star, Tom Blyth – actress Emily Henry told TopMob News that it was “the biggest compliment” she could’ve asked for.

“She’s so amazing,” Bader explained in an exclusive joint interview alongside Tom. “To even get anywhere close. I will say I’m very inspired. I love actors a lot, so part of the reason I like doing this is seeing characters, seeing actors that I love and trying to maybe learn something from it, so, that was so nice.”

Bader revealed that she prepared for the role of Poppy Wright by watching classic romantic comedies, especially films starring Ryan, such as You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle.

She said that when she started the job, the director told her he loved the romantic comedies of the 1990s and early 2000s, particularly those by Nora Ephron. She used this as inspiration and watched as many as she could to prepare for the role.

Although Brett Haley, the director of People We Meet on Vacation, mentioned Nora Ephron as a source of inspiration, Emma Bader realized early on that she could also learn a lot from Ryan’s acting skills.

I’m such a fan of her work because she’s incredibly genuine and can tap into real emotion, but she’s also wonderfully goofy! What I admire most is that she doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously in her roles, and honestly, that’s the biggest compliment I can give. Seeing her fully commit to the comedy, even if it means looking a little foolish, is truly inspiring to me as a performer.

What impressed Blyth about Bader, leading him to compare her to a classic romantic comedy lead, was her ability to naturally become the love interest for his character, Alex Nilsen.

Tom explained to TopMob News that people were constantly asking who the actress playing the role was, comparing her to Meg Ryan. He said there was a lot of curiosity until she appeared, and then everyone immediately understood. He emphasized that she possessed a unique and irreplaceable quality.

Director Haley praised Bader, saying he couldn’t have imagined a better actor in the role of Poppy. He even recalled a scene during filming of People We Meet where Bader naturally mimicked a performance by Ryan in When Harry Met Sally.

Haley shared that there’s a scene everyone is talking about where Sally, who’s in the car, appears to be styling her hair. She also mentioned a spontaneous moment with Emily, who casually applied ChapStick and adjusted the mirror. Haley decided to include this unscripted action in the film, noting that Emily only did it once, during a single take.

As he recalled, “I just went, ‘well that’s the one that’s going in.’”

The movie People We Meet on Vacation will be available on Netflix starting January 9th. Here are some other upcoming releases you might want to check out…

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2026-01-06 15:18