Featured Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Christian Siriano/Universal
Nancy Meyers seems to have plenty of famous pals in her phone book to give a ring whenever she needs a favour.
So, when she had to find someone to lend her a hand in The Holiday, she called on an old friend – Lindsay Lohan.
You can watch her cameo here:
The classic Christmas film – which was written, produced and directed by Meyers – follows the journey of two women on either sides of the pond who swap lives over the festive period to escape their heartbreak after bad breakups.
Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) jets off to sunny LA to live in a Hollywood mega-mansion while fleeing the news that her long-term-but-non-committal lover has just got engaged.
On the other hand, Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) has just found out that her boyfriend has been bonking his secretary, so she boots him out before heading to a cosy cottage in Surrey over Christmas.
They both end up finding love on each other’s door step; need I remind you of the entrance of movie hunks Jude Law and Jack Black?
Although we already know The Holiday boasts a star-studded cast, a lot of people seem to have forgotten some of the incredible stars which took on supporting roles in the film.
Lindsay Lohan had a cameo in The Holiday that a lot of fans have forgotten. Credit: Sony
Dustin Hoffman ended up with a cameo in the movie that was completely unplanned after spotting the crew filming a scene between Winslet and Black in a DVD shop.
And some die-hard The Holiday fans might recall that The Office‘s John Krasinski and Bad Moms star Kathryn Hahn also featured in the festive film, as Amanda’s colleagues.
The trio sit down to watch the latest version of a trailer they have been working on for the fake cheesy action film Deception – which starred Lindsay Lohan and James Franco.
But how did Meyers manage to persuade Lohan to offer her services up for The Holiday?
Nancy Meyers had previously worked The Parent Trap with Lohan. Credit: Instagram/@nmeyers
Eight years before, the pair had already worked together on the set of Disney’s remake of The Parent Trap, which was also directed and co-written by the 74-year-old filmmaker.
Back in 2006, she revealed to ComingSoon.net: “I know Lindsay because I directed The Parent Trap and I told her she owes me everything so I made her do it.
“I called her and said, ‘You have to do this for me’, but she was sweet about it, she was totally there.”
Meyers maintained a close relationship with the star over the years – and Lohan thanked her for giving her ‘the opportunity of a lifetime’ on the 20th anniversary of The Parent Trap.
As for Franco, the director had met him at a few dinner parties, explaining they’d shared mutual friends.
Adding: “I knew him a little bit. I asked him if he would do it and it turned out Lindsay and James knew each other and it was really fun.”
Topics: Celebrity, Christmas, Cameron Diaz, TV and Film, Kate Winslet, Jack Black
Olivia Burke
The Holiday viewers spot bizarre plot hole at the end of film
Featured Image Credit: Universal
A Christmas romcom wouldn’t become a favourite if it didn’t have a few plot holes for fans to obsess over.
As the festive season is in full swing and the romantic, even only remotely Christmas-adjacent movies are being re-watched on the sofa with a hot drink, and viewers have been picking apart one of the most beloved of recent years.
The Holiday, aka the star-studded house swap movie of dreams, has been analysed in a funny X thread – with an attentive viewer pointing out a few things that just don’t add up.
Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, the 2006 film stars Kate Winslet as Iris and Cameron Diaz as Amanda – two women from different lives and countries who swap homes for the holidays to get a breather from their relationship issues. With Iris chilling in a spacious mansion in LA and Amanda adjusting to the quaint cottage life outside of London, the two protagonists end up finding more than they bargained for when two men, Amanda’s colleague Miles (Jack Black) and Iris’s widowed brother Graham (Jude Law), fall into their laps.
And the rest is history.
Cameron Diaz and Jude Law in The HolidayCredit: Universal
Though admitting that she loves ‘festive silly romcoms’, one eagle-eyed fan, Natasha Hodgson, seemingly had an issue with Law’s character.
A father of two, Graham tells Amanda that he’s looking after his daughters on New Year’s in the film’s final scenes – but who else would have them?
“I am watching The Holiday and am I going mad, at the end of the movie jude law says ‘I have the girls on New Year’s Eve’ – sorry their mother is dead, who else would have them jude,” she wrote.
And as it turns out, she also had a problem with Black’s character Miles, who, according to Natasha, seems a little self-centred to be Iris’s perfect partner.
She also had a problem with Jack Black’s character Miles. Credit: Universal
“Also I cannot, try as I might, get over the cringing void where the chemistry between Kate Winslet and Jack Black is supposed to be,” she continued.
“This man is hell, stop telling her what films to watch, stop scatting at the shops, ask her a question you pig!!!”
Natasha then provided a couple of tweaks to the script to make The Holiday even better – including bringing back Miles’s ex-girlfriend Maggie (Shannyn Sossamon) for a queer romance with Iris.
Natasha proposed a gay romance between Maggie and Iris. Credit: Universal
Ending her tweet thread by saying she’ll be watching the film ‘ten times more’, she concluded: “This movie should just be nice Kate Winslet having a well deserved rest and maybe making out with jack black’s hot girlfriend, occasionally we cut to Cameron and Jude kissing, merry Xmas.”
How much as we love The Holiday just the way it is, we’d definitely watch this version too.
And others also pointed out some discrepancies – like why did Iris ‘not inform Amanda she will be responsible for a dog?’
While another said: “Why can’t the taxi take her all the way to the cottage but she can drive Iris’ car from the cottage which is clearly stood close to a normal road?”
Perhaps some things are best left unanswered.
