1. Nora Ephron was notoriously a precise circumstantial director, with a emotion for small details to adhd authenticity, particularly erstwhile it came to establishing New York City, 1 of the large loves of her life.

During the infamous "that caviar is simply a garnish!" face-off betwixt Joe and Kathleen (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan), Ephron, a foodie herself, insisted connected a lavish spread, and adjacent was upset that the avocados weren't Hass avocados. "Oh, that is truthful sad," publication supervisor Dianne Dreyer recalled the manager saying. (That caviar garnish spot was not successful the archetypal script, by the way, with Ephron adding it successful connected acceptable due to the fact that she recovered the connection "garnish" funny. She was right.)

She adjacent made definite to person the aforesaid extras successful the inheritance of assorted scenes to marque the Upper West Side consciousness similar a small community; she wanted it to consciousness truly lived-in.

"The other who is playing the florist [in the opening of the film] is pregnant," Ephron revealed on the DVD commentary. "We enactment a small pad successful her tummy. And 1 of the things you volition spot aboriginal successful the movie is erstwhile Meg is buying flowers astatine that florist, there's a small motion successful the model that says, 'It's a girl.'"

2. The movie was primitively titled You Have Mail and was lone changed due to the fact that a advisor hired by Warner Bros. discovered AOL hadn't trademark "You've Got Mail," the infamous greeting by Elwood Edwards backmost successful 1989.  (Elwood's cause tried to get him a dependable recognition successful the movie...which was denied.)

A ineligible contented the movie couldn't avoid, however? They had to inquire the pistillate who had the username Shopgirl to springiness up the sanction truthful they could usage it for Kathleen's handle. As Ephron revealed, "She really worked astatine an autobody shop."

3. In bid to represent bookshop proprietor Kathleen Kelly, Ryan, along with her co-star Heather Burns, trained successful an existent publication shop. "We worked...[in a] children's bookstore for a week," she told Vanity Fair. "We learned the registry truthful we would look earthy erstwhile we got successful the store."

In the archetypal script, Kathleen's sanction was really Betsy, a nod to Elizabeth Bennett from Pride & Prejudice (which besides factors into the storyline). Ryan had it changed, arsenic it was the sanction of her quality connected As the World Turns. She besides suggested adding successful the twirling representation for Kathleen and her parent (We. Cry. Every. Time.) and the country erstwhile Kathleen ends up pointing a weapon astatine Joe aft learning his individuality astatine the publication party.

And erstwhile it came to Kathleen's now-iconic librarian-chic wardrobe, Ryan had 1 portion she insisted beryllium used: That Marc Jacobs formal she wears successful the last country of the film. The costume designer, who was avoiding high-end pieces successful the character's precise feminine-yet-utilitarian wardrobe, relented—but did adhd a sweater implicit it. 

"That saved the formal for me," Albert Wolsky said successful Erin Carlson's book, I'll Have What She's Having.

4. While it's evidently precise dated now, the movie was beauteous of-the-moment erstwhile it came to computers, chat rooms and each that jazz. However, 1 of its stars was a spot hesitant to clasp technology. Ryan didn't person a idiosyncratic machine until she received a Mac PowerBook connected set. Her archetypal email was sent to Hanks.

She ne'er attempted chat rooms, though. As for Hanks? He erstwhile checked retired a 2001: A Space Odyssey chatroom. Alas, nary 1 other was successful it. 

Fortunately for Ryan, she had quite the teacher in Internet 101 up of production. Kevin Feige, the antheral liable for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was conscionable a accumulation adjunct erstwhile You've Got Mail was made. His biggest responsibility? Teaching Ephron, Ryan and Hanks however to usage email and America Online. After giving Ryan astir 3 days worthy of lessons, helium was thrilled erstwhile she said hullo to him connected set: "I thought, she remembered my name."

5. Just like Jennifer Aniston's iconic hairsbreadth on Friends—The Rachel—Ryan's hairsbreadth was a large f--kin' woody successful the '90s. The messy shag was created by Sally Hershberger and rapidly became some the prima and the hairdresser's calling card. But Ephron wasn't definite astir the edgier look for Kathleen Kelly, wanting a "cleaner" look, per I'll Have What She's Having. 

And a situation emerged soon aft filming began with the stylist hired for the movie conscionable couldn't replicate Hershberger's work. "Meg was uneasy due to the fact that her hairsbreadth was becoming iconic," Matthew Shields, Hershberger's then-protege who was brought successful to prevention the tresses and the movie, admitted. 

He made the infamous 'do a spot much Kathleen-esque by adding immoderate fullness connected top, and trimmed it each 3 weeks. He obsessively took photos for continuity and became Ryan's concealed spy arsenic helium would spell ticker the dailies, giving her feedback connected her performance.

6. Leave it to Hanks to improvise 1 of Joe's most charming moments. When he's leaving The Shop Around the Corner aft his archetypal instauration to Kathleen, helium accidentally closes the store doorway connected the balloons helium was holding for his member and aunt. "Good happening it wasn't the fish!" helium said, arsenic helium was holding the food they had won astatine the just earlier. Hanks came up with it connected the spot, and Ephron liked it truthful overmuch she kept it in.

7. Before filming the last scene—when it's yet revealed that Joe Fox is successful information NY152—Hanks had gone connected abrogation and gained a fewer lbs. Relatable, right? "You tin spot it successful the movie. He came backmost each chubby," shaper G. Mac Brown told Carlson successful her book. "In the end, erstwhile they find each different successful the park, he's got bully small roll. Very cute." But it was noticeable connected camera, and Ephron wanted him to driblet the 4 to five pounds. And a precise awkward telephone telephone was made to Hanks.

8. For Joe and Kathleen's respective so-wrong-for-them loves, the Ephron sisters pulled inspiration from existent people. Patricia, played to perfection by indie darling Parker Posey, was based on Judith Regan, a large powerfulness subordinate successful the New York publishing scene. We presume she besides made java nervous. 

Frank Navasky (a role Conan O'Brien auditioned for BTW!) was based connected Salon.com critic Ron Rosenbaum, who did not emotion the movie…or the homage to him, calling Greg Kinnear's type-writer obsessed civilization professional "a benign caricature." He criticized the movie for its "chirpy sentimentalizing of terminally insipid emails by tragically insipid stars" Ryan and Hanks. So yeah, a Frank Navasky reappraisal if we've ever heard one!

Meanwhile, Joe Fox was named aft different 1 of Nora's ex-boyfriends, a publication exertion who died successful 1995.

9. After turning down a relation successful Forrest Gump, a determination helium regretted aft it became an instant hit, comedian Dave Chappelle, past 24, was keen to play Kevin, Joe Fox's concern spouse and dating guide. Ephron gave Chappelle free rein to improvise immoderate and each of his lines. "I don't deliberation determination was anyone other connected the list," publication supervisor Dreyer said in I'll Have What She's Having. "He proved to beryllium a delight and everything she thought helium was." 

10. Sara Ramirez played the cashier successful the cash-only enactment astatine Zabar's. The country was based connected thing that happened during accumulation on Sleepless successful Seattle, where a mystified Ephron watched arsenic her archetypal AD connected that movie had a akin interaction connected a concierge astatine the airport.

Oh, and it was the first and last time Zabar's has ever fto a movie movie wrong the iconic market store. And they weren't the lone New Yorkers who weren't precisely thrilled with the monolithic accumulation taking implicit their city.

During 1 sprout successful a edifice connected the Upper West Side, a antheral started banging connected the window, yelling, "Nora Ephron! Nora Ephron! I thought you loved this neighborhood? Why are you f--kin' with us?!' per cinematographer John Lindley. She was yet capable to calm him down.

11. Chris Messina, who would spell connected to play Mindy Kaling's emotion involvement (and the Internet's boyfriend, Danny Castellano) on The Mindy Project, really had a tiny relation successful the movie. He played the clueless income subordinate moving astatine Fox Books who needs Kathleen's expertise erstwhile it came to "The Shoe Books" bid by Mary Noel Streatfield.

12. When the movie came successful mode excessively long, galore sub-plots had to beryllium trimmed down. 

So long, Christina's dating adventures! Peace out, George dating a detective helium believes mightiness really beryllium the Rooftop Killer! Goodbye each but 1 of Deborah Rush's scenes! (Nora promised she owed her one. And did wage her debt, giving her a relation 10 years aboriginal in Julie & Julia.) In case you can't retrieve her YGM character, she was the writer Veronica Grant who got stuck successful the elevator with Joe and Patricia, and her canine was really played by Nora's real-life Chihuahua, Lucy. (A publication lawsuit Patricia hosted for Veronica was 1 of the trimmed scenes.)

Plus, successful the archetypal script, Joe and Kathleen's exes, Patricia and Frank, extremity up getting together. 

Another country that was chopped from the movie included a mysterious novelist played by Michael Palin making a walk for Kathleen aft helium comes retired of hiding to effort and assistance her prevention The Shop Around the Corner. The country proved alternatively predatory though, which included the novelist trying to buss her earlier she kicks him successful the shin and runs away. "I thought it was oddly broad," Palin explained successful I'll Have What She's Having. "I didn't cognize if I could rather present it successful a benignant of debonair way."

13. Kathleen's charming children's bookstore, which was opened by her precocious mother, Cecilia, was based connected Books of Wonder connected West 18th St., arsenic the Ephron sisters had been shopping determination since its opening successful 1980. "We grew up loving children's books much than anything," Delia Ephron told Vanity Fair. While it wasn't changeable successful a existent publication store, the fictional Shop Around the Corner housed 7,000 existent books. Books of Wonder is inactive unfastened and houses immoderate props from the movie.

Fox Books, of course, was based connected Barnes & Noble, though the publication retailer wouldn't fto them movie successful a determination arsenic they did not privation to unopen down the store to their customers. Instead, a Barney's section store had conscionable shuttered, truthful accumulation took implicit and built Fox Books from scratch. I'll Have What She's Having estimates 25,000 books from implicit 30 publishers were trucked in, with Ephron requesting that each the books were stocked successful their due sections. There was besides a existent java bar.

14. On The Late Show in 2015, Stephen Colbert confessed his emotion for the movie during an interrogation with director Quentin Tarantino (also a noted defender of the film). As Colbert raved, "I wept done the entirety of You've Got Mail—that's my confession."