Diane Keaton Listened to Bob Dylan Songs to Make Herself Cry for Iconic Movie Scene
Diane Keaton was known for her early roles in the 1970s movies Annie Hall, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and The Godfather. But one of her most iconic onscreen moments came in a 2003 Nancy Meyers film when she cried on cue—for what seemed like forever—as her character typed on her laptop.
The film was the romantic comedy-drama Something’s Gotta Give, and in a 2020 interview with Vulture, Keaton explained how she was able to weep so profusely for the extended cry scene.
“It didn’t take much for me to just start sobbing, because I like to listen to music,” Keaton explained. “So I would play the music before, and it just made me — it just was so sad. It would just make me sob.”
As for the songs that made her cry, Keaton added, “I always have older music.”
“I liked a few Bob Dylan songs,” she said. “Can you believe that? I know that seems odd, but it made me sad, you know, how great those songs were to me. Music is the most powerful of all the arts, don’t you think? Oh, Bob Dylan, my God.”
In Something’s Gotta Give, Keaton had another big cry when her character let her answering machine pick up a missed call from Jack Nicholson’s character, Harry Sanborn. Clearly, the Dylan songs were on repeat during filming.
In her 2011 memoir Then Again, Keaton admitted she thought Something’s Gotta Give “would never see the light of day,” at least not with Nicholson on board. “I’m sorry, but Jack Nicholson is not going to play my boyfriend in a chick flick,” she recalled telling Meyers.
Not only did Nicholson agree to co-star in the film, but both he and Keaton were nominated for Golden Globe Awards for their performances. (Keaton won for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy).
Keaton also received an unexpected surprise when a check “with a lot of zeros arrived in the mail for her “back-end percentage” from Something’s Gotta Give. But she didn’t have a back-end deal for the film.
Keaton later found out Nicholson had given her a portion of his percentage from the movie’s profits.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
