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Meg Ryan, 59, makes rare red carpet appearance

Meg Ryan hasn't been on a red carpet for nearly two years, but it doesn't mean she forgot how to work one.

The When Harry Met Sally... actress, 59, lit up the red carpet at Saturday's Academy Museum of Motion Pictures long-awaited opening gala in Los Angeles. She wore a long black and pink gown by Ulyana Sergeenko for the step-and-repeat in front of photographers. She also wore black, open-toe platform heels and styled her signature sun-kissed, wavy blond locks down.

Los Angeles, CA - September 25: Meg Ryan on the green carpet of the Opening Gala for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, in Los Angeles, CA, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Meg Ryan on the green carpet of the Opening Gala for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, in Los Angeles, CA, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021. (Photo: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

It's been more than a minute since Ryan last walked a red carpet. The last seems to be at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences annual Governors Awards in October 2019. That month, it was announced she ended her engagement to singer John Mellencamp after eight years together. (The mom of two was previously married to Dennis Quaid in the '90s.)

Saturday's event was star-studded and drew a crowd including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, Lady Gaga, Halle Berry, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anna Kendrick, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Cher, Spike Lee, Regina King, Nicole Kidman, Angela Bassett, Kaia Gerber — and the list goes on.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Meg Ryan attends The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala at The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on September 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Meg Ryan shines at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opening gala. (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Hanks, with whom Ryan made movie magic with You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, was honored at the event. He's a member of the museum's board of trustees and led the fundraising for the project. Bening and Sophia Loren were also recognized at the event, which was co-chaired by Ava DuVernay, Ryan Murphy and producer Jason Blum.

The museum opens to the public Thursday with exhibits from productions including The Wizard of Oz, Alien, Star Wars and Psycho. There are also exhibits dedicated to Lee, Hayao Miyazaki and Pedro Almodovar. There's also a 1,208-pound, 25-foot-long, shark replica made from the Jaws mold. Visitors can also look at real Academy Awards statuettes — and record their own Oscar acceptance speeches.

The museum was first announced nine years ago and was first projected to open in 2016. However, that was the year construction started. After many delays, it was finally supposed to open in December 2020 — $100 million over budget — but was delayed again due to COVID. And again from April to now.