THE writer and director of what many consider a Christmas classic has surprisingly suggested the movie has nothing to do with the festive season whatsoever.
Nancy Meyers, who is behind The Holiday, says she’s “shocked” her 2006 movie has evolved a reputation as a yuletide classic, as it could just have easily been set in summer.
Speaking to the Hollywood Gold podcast, she says of the film: “I know it’s called The Holiday because they’re taking a holiday, but it could have been called that if it was in the summer.
“Everybody sees it as a Christmas movie, and when I watched it last night to prepare, I was a little shocked at how much Christmas was in it.”
And she goes on to suggest the only reason The Holiday, which stars Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Jude Law, is set at that time of year, is because it can be a particularly difficult time for people on their own.
She adds: “I just really wanted to tell the story about these people. I set it at Christmas because that can be lonely.”
The story focuses on two single women, UK-based Iris Simpkins, who’s played by Kate, and US-based Amanda Woods, who’s portrayed by Cameron.
They swap houses for Xmas, during which Iris falls for film composer Miles Dumon, played by Jack, and Amanda falls in love with Iris’s brother Graham, played by Jude Law.
And Nancy says rewatching it made her realise Christmas was simply a good time to deal with the issues of her damaged characters.
She says: “And the holidays seem like a good time to deal with those issues.
“So it was that, not, ‘Hey, I think I’ll make a festive holiday movie.’ Not at all.”
Nancy also suggests that one of her original titles for the film was I Hate My Horrible Life, but changed it to The Holiday as she feared her working title wouldn’t encourage people to watch it.
She says: “For some reason I, in one insane moment, thought that could be a title.
“Would people go see I Hate My Horrible Life? No.”
Earlier this year, during an appearance on The Tonight Show, Kate told host Jimmy Fallon that she often gets stopped by people telling her The Holiday forms part of their family traditions over Xmas.
She said: “What’s so lovely is that mothers and daughters come up to me in the grocery store and they say, ‘Oh Kate, we just love The Holiday, it’s our little ritual at Christmas.’
“They have things that they eat every year, they sit down, it’s a tradition and I just love that.”
