50 Fun Facts About The Holiday (2006) Movie

Who wrote and directed The Holiday?

She had previously made What Women Want and Something's Gotta Give.

Who plays Amanda Woods, the Los Angeles half of the house swap?

Meyers compared her gift for physical comedy to Goldie Hawn's.

Who plays Iris Simpkins, the English columnist?

Meyers wrote every one of Iris's lines with Winslet in mind.

What does Amanda's company produce?

The film's own fake trailer, for the action movie Deception, features uncredited cameos by Lindsay Lohan and James Franco.

For which newspaper does Iris write a society column?

Her ex, Jasper, is a colleague there, and his engagement is announced at the office Christmas party.

What is the name of Iris's cheating ex-boyfriend?

Rufus Sewell plays him; he keeps Iris close by insisting they "remain friends".

In which English county is Iris's cottage?

Filming took place in the town of Godalming and the village of Shere.

For how long do Amanda and Iris agree to swap homes?

Amanda nearly gives up after one night of quiet country life.

Who plays Graham, Iris's brother?

Robert Downey Jr. also auditioned for the part.

What is Graham's job?

He is also a widower raising two daughters, which he initially hides from Amanda.

Why does Graham first turn up at the cottage while Amanda is staying there?

He kisses her unexpectedly, and she suggests sleeping together since she never expects to see him again.

What are the names of Graham's two daughters?

Miffy Englefield and Emma Pritchard played them.

Why does Graham keep his daughters secret from new romantic partners?

He will not bring a woman into their lives unless the relationship has a real future.

Who plays Miles, the Hollywood musician Iris befriends in Los Angeles?

Meyers wrote the part for him after seeing School of Rock; Jimmy Fallon auditioned.

What is the profession of Amanda's unfaithful boyfriend Ethan?

Edward Burns plays him; he blames the break-up on Amanda's emotional unavailability.

Who plays Arthur Abbott, the elderly screenwriter next door?

He was 90 during filming and so energetic that Meyers kept asking him to move more slowly.

Which classic film is on Arthur's list of movies with strong leading ladies for Iris?

He wants her to become the leading lady of her own life rather than the best friend.

Which organisation holds a gala in Arthur's honour?

Iris helps him train for the walk to the stage, and he gives a rousing speech.

What is the name of Miles's actress girlfriend, whom he catches with another man?

Shannyn Sossamon plays her; she and Rufus Sewell were both in A Knight's Tale but share no scene here.

What does Amanda do on the way to the airport that makes her turn back?

She returns to the cottage to find Graham in tears too.

Where do the four leads end up celebrating New Year's Eve?

Miles flies to England to be with Iris, and Graham's daughters join the party.

After whom was the character Iris named?

Law and Winslet phoned each other before shooting, worried they would be fired for not being funny.

Which 1940s screwball comedies did Winslet study to prepare for the role?

She had never made a romantic comedy and was known mostly for period films.

Which actor auditioned for the role of Graham before Jude Law was cast?

Meyers cast Law after a meeting in which they went through the script together.

Whose films did Meyers send Jude Law to study for his performance?

She later said of Jack Black, "I'm aware he's not Clark Gable".

Which talk show host auditioned for the role of Miles?

Black only agreed to the rom-com once he learned he would play opposite Winslet.

Which 2003 film convinced Meyers to write the part of Miles for its star?

Black had just finished composing his own score for that film's music.

Which actor makes an unscripted cameo in the video rental store?

He was heading to Blockbuster to rent a film, saw the lights, and Meyers wrote him a short scene on the spot.

Which 1967 film's score is Miles discussing when Hoffman appears?

Hoffman starred in it, which is the joke.

Which two stars appear uncredited in the fake trailer for the action film Deception?

Lohan had made her debut in Meyers' remake of The Parent Trap; Charles Shyer directed their scenes.

Who voices the trailer narration that keeps describing Amanda's situation?

The veteran voice-over artist also narrated the Deception trailer.

Which two Office and Step Brothers actors play Amanda's employees Ben and Bristol?

Bill Macy and Shelley Berman play Arthur's friends Ernie and Norman.

In which English village was the cottage exterior built, next to St James's Church?

A real cottage was found but was too far from London, so the crew built one in a field.

Why did the production build Iris's home rather than use a real one?

The crew was based in London, and Surrey was a short drive.

Amanda's house is set in Brentwood, but where were its exteriors actually filmed?

The Mission Revival house was built by architect Wallace Neff for his own family in 1928.

Which famous modernist architect designed the house used as Miles's home?

It sits on Neutra Place in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles.

What gave the Los Angeles shoot a winter day as warm as the script described?

Filming began in Brentwood on January 4, 2006.

At which studio were the interiors of Amanda's house filmed?

Sony distributed the film in North America even though the sets were on the Disney lot.

Who composed the film's score?

Miles even sings "the theme tune of Driving Miss Daisy by Hans" in the video store.

Which song does Amanda sing along to while drinking on her first night in England?

The Frou Frou track "Let Go" plays later when Graham walks into the bar looking for her.

On which label was the soundtrack album released?

It closes with "It's a Shame" by The Spinners and Aretha Franklin's "You Send Me".

In which later film did the actor playing Miles spoof The Holiday?

That 2008 comedy is about remaking films with a camcorder after a video store's tapes are erased.

Where did The Holiday premiere on November 29, 2006?

It went on general release in the United States on December 8.

Roughly how much did The Holiday gross worldwide?

It opened only third at the US box office but made $142 million overseas.

What was the film's production budget?

It became the twelfth highest-grossing film of the 2000s directed by a woman.

What grade did CinemaScore audiences give The Holiday?

Critics were cooler: 51% on Rotten Tomatoes and 52 on Metacritic.

A San Francisco Chronicle critic compared it to which earlier British ensemble rom-com?

She also thought the 2-hour-16-minute running time was ridiculously long for a rom-com.

Which Meyers film was Winslet a fan of before signing on?

Diaz, too, signed on after reading only parts of the script.

Who directed the scenes for the fake Deception trailer?

Shyer was Meyers' former husband and longtime writing partner.

What happened to the rumoured 2022 sequel with the original cast?

Reports had claimed all four leads were signed on and the film was in pre-production.