Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet swap homes in romantic comedy ‘The Holiday.’ During a scene at a video store, the star of “Titanicand Jack Black briefly cross paths with Dustin Hoffman, who was not supposed to appear in the film at all.
The Holiday : a sweet Christmas
Fourth feature film by Nancy Meyers after the four of us, What women Want and Everything can happen, The Holiday confirms that the director is a specialist in comedies (a bit too much) filled with tenderness. In this film released in 2006, Amanda (Cameron Diaz) manages an agency specializing in the creation of trailers in Los Angeles and has just broken up with her boyfriend Ethan (Edward Burns). Thousands of miles away, Iris (Kate Winslet) is a London newspaper columnist based in Surrey, still in love with her ex and colleague Jasper (Rufus Sewell).
Tired of their sentimental stories, they decide to escape their daily life and exchange their house for two weeks, during the Christmas holidays. When they think they can enjoy a vacation alone, Iris’ brother, Graham (Jude Law), surprises Amanda by showing up at the cottage without warning. In the United States, Iris meets Miles (Jack Black), a film music composer. Encounters that will turn them upside down and allow them to reconcile with love.
Eli Wallach, Shannyn Sossamon, Kathryn Hahn and John Krasinski complete the cast of The Holiday. A feature film marked by several cameos, including one that was not absolutely planned.
When Dustin Hoffman invites himself
In the opening scenes, the character played by Cameron Diaz works on a trailer for a blockbuster in which Lindsay Lohan and James Franco frown, shoot everywhere and have fun. Later, Miles and Iris go to a video store and talk about the soundtracks of cult films like The Chariots of Fire, Miss Daisy and her driver, Gone with the wind, Jaws and The winner.
And as Jack Black begins to hum the essential Mrs. Robinson of Simon and Garfunkel, Dustin Hoffman appears a few meters away, challenged while watching a DVD. Falsely jaded, the interpreter of Benjamin Braddock in Mike Nichols’ masterpiece launches:
We can go nowhere.
A remark that was not in the script. An audio commentary from the DVD quoted by buzzfeed reveals that Dustin Hoffman was having lunch not far from the set and that he stopped in the video store to find out more about what he was up to there. An improvised visit that gave birth to a discreet, light and memorable cameo.
