The film was written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers – who never intended for it to be a Christmas classic!
While there are many classic Christmas films from the last century – It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street to name a few – the overwhelming amount of movies being made over the last 25 years means that it takes something really special to stand out from the crowd.
Thankfully for us, The Holiday is one such film that peeked it’s head above the parapet of regular festive fare and has lodged itself firmly in the hearts of movie-lovers all around the world.
Released in 2006, it follows the story of Iris and Amanda, two women living in England and California respectively, who are feeling depressed and lonely at Christmas and want to escape their lives for a while.
Here is everything you need to know about what really went on during the filming of this classic Christmas comedy:
The shoot
Filming took place both in England and California. They started in Los Angeles, moved to England for a month, then back to California.
Iris’s cottage facade
Shock horror! Iris’s picturesque English dwelling, “Rosehill Cottage” isn’t a real home. It was built especially for the movie in a field in Surrey because they couldn’t find a cottage that matched what director Nancy Meyers had in mind. The interiors of the cottage were filmed in a soundstage in Los Angeles. They actually built the road, walls and trees around the cottage set to make it look aged and lived-in. I know, we’re a bit devastated by this too…
A real romance
Apparently, Rufus Sewell, who plays Jasper, used to date Kate Winslet in real life (before the movie).
Kate’s true voice
Kate Winslet is reported to have said that this was her first time playing a modern British character using her own accent.
Eli Wallach’s milestone birthday
The actor Eli Wallach (Arthur Abbott) celebrated his 90th birthday on set but was still very energetic; the director sometimes needed him to tone it down to feel more appropriate for an “old-man” role. What a legend!
The real house-swap website
The site Amanda and Iris use in the film to arrange the home exchange is a real website (homeexchange.com).
Unplanned cameo by Dustin Hoffman
In the Blockbuster scene, Miles (Jack Black) starts singing “Mrs. Robinson” (from The Graduate). The annoyed man in the shop is Dustin Hoffman and that cameo was spontaneous. He happened to be nearby, saw the filming, and agreed to walk in to add an extra layer to the gag.
Kate Winslet improvised dance
When Iris arrives in Los Angeles and runs excitedly through Amanda’s house, the little dance she does wasn’t scripted – Winslet improvised that joyful movement.
Miles’s studio decor
The music studio set seen in Jack Black’s opening scenes was copied from Hans Zimmer’s actual studio. Coincidentally, Zimmer also composed the film’s score. How’s that for symmetry?
Lindsay Lohan cameo
In Amanda’s movie trailer there’s a brief, uncredited cameo by Lindsay Lohan, alongside James Franco. That was a favour to Nancy Meyers, who had directed The Parent Trap, the movie that helped launch Lohan’s career.
Nancy Meyers’ unintentional “Christmas movie”
Meyers has said she never intended for The Holiday to become a holiday classic; she chose the Christmas setting because it suited the emotional states of her characters, not because she aimed for a festive film.
