This A-Lister Was Turned Down For A Cameo In The Wicked Movie

Posted on 21/01/2025 by Boris Clair

Last year’s hit film adaptation of Wicked was full of cameos for fans of the original stage show – but there was one that never actually made it to the big screen.

After dominating the box office in 2024, the movie musical recently had its home release, one iteration of which features commentary from director Jon M Chu.

During his commentary, Jon discloses that he was contacted by a certain heavyweight from the musical theatre world, who had a very specific cameo in mind before production got underway.

Referring to opening number No One Mourns The Wicked, Jon said (as reported by Gizmodo): “When that woman says, ‘Glinda, is it true you were her friend?’, I got many calls from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“He might have publicly also tweeted that he wanted to be that voice and that person.”

However, after mulling it over, Jon ultimately decided it would be “too distracting” to have Lin-Manuel pop up so early on in the film.

“So, sorry, Lin,” Jon added.

Indeed, the Hamilton creator first made it clear that he wanted to cameo in Wicked way back in 2016, when Stephen Daldry was still attached to direct the film version of the Tony-winning musical.

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WICKED MOVIE! FINALLY.
Dear Stephen Daldry: Can I play the guy who goes, \"Is it true you were her FRIEND?!\" https://t.co/vnrFyhvFzF

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) June 16, 2016

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WICKED MOVIE! FINALLY.
Dear Stephen Daldry: Can I play the guy who goes, “Is it true you were her FRIEND?!” https://t.co/vnrFyhvFzF

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) June 16, 2016

Two of the stand-out cameos from Wicked came from Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who played the original Elphaba and Glinda on Broadway.

“It’s just so fun,” Jon said of Idina and Kristin’s unexpected appearances, explaining: “It was the middle of the night, and I think [for them] to see this giant set that we had built for a movie of a legacy that they built, these characters that they built from the ground up, was a beautiful thing for them to see.

“We were all, again, all in tears all the time. And then Idina gets to do her iconic war cry and same thing with Kristin, she gets to do her soprano. So fun.”

Part two of the story, titled Wicked For Good, is due to hit cinemas later this year.

Hugh Grant Names The 1 Film Of His That His Wife Is ‘Banned’ From Watching

Posted on 09/01/2025 by Boris Clair

Hugh Grant has admitted there’s one film from his oeuvre that he’s in no rush to revisit.

During a recent interview with Variety, the Bafta winner reflected on some of the romantic comedies that helped make him a global star – including one that still has a special place in his heart, despite its not-so-glowing reviews.

However, the British actor also made it clear that he’s not quite so nostalgic for all of his past work.

When the interviewer praised the 1995 movie Nine Months, Hugh apparently screamed “as if startled”, stating: “Let me stress, everyone involved with that film, with the exception of me, was brilliant and talented. It was just me that let it down.”

Nine Months told the story of a couple expecting their first child, and featured an all-star cast that also included Julianne Moore, Jeff Goldblum, Joan Cusack and Robin Williams.

Hugh added: “My wife wants to watch it, but I’ve forbidden her. I’ve put parental controls on the screen so that you can’t get it.”

Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore in Nine Months

Back in 2023, Hugh joked during an appearance on The Late, Late Show that he would “happily shred my IMDb page” because he “specialised in being bad for decades”.

Asked to specifically name one film he would make disappear if possible, the Heretic star answered with 1988’s The Lady And The Highwayman, describing it as “low-budget, bad wig, bad hat”.

While Hugh is known for being self-deprecating about his work, he also made it clear during his interview with Variety that if people heard him slating his experience on one of his most recent movies in particular, it was all intended in good humour.

“On the web, it’s become a fact that I hated making that film,” Hugh lamented. “And I didn’t hate it all; I loved making it. I’m absolutely thrilled with it.”

He continued: “That’s what the internet does. It scrubs humour, and it scrubs context to create little clickbait moments. It’s one of the reasons I loathe it with such violence, really.”

14 Things You Probably Never Knew About The Christmas Classic The Grinch

Posted on 25/12/2024 by Boris Clair

In the last two decades, the 2000s big-screen adaptation of The Grinch has become an undeniable festive classic.

A surefire annual rewatch once cosy season rolls around, the live-action film depicts just how the frosty green heart of Jim Carrey’s character is thawed by the inhabitants of Whoville.

As familiar as you are with the tale, though, you might not know these behind the scenes facts about The Grinch, The Whos and even Mount Crumpit.

Here are 14 behind-the-scenes facts about The Grinch…

1. Jim Carrey underwent torture endurance training to help him tolerate the Grinch prosthetics

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[embedded content]

According to an interview on Graham Norton’s BBC talk show, the actor was trained by the actual CIA to help him endure the hefty costume required to transform him into the green meanie.

In 2022, the Canadian star said filming The Grinch was like “being buried alive every day” due to the heavy prostheses, and he could often be found smoking in full costume (complete with an oversized cigarette-holder to avoid anything going up in flames) to help him through the process.

2. Director Ron Howard became The Grinch on set for a day

So intense was the costume, that director Ron Howard finally decided to give it a whirl to see what all the fuss was about – and he also directed the production decked out in it for a day.

“It must’ve been very confusing for everyone else,” he said.

3. The Grinch is actually an Oscar-winning film

When you think “Grinch”, you don’t necessarily think: Academy Awards – but you should.

The film won an Oscar in 2001 for best makeup and hairstyling, which actually makes sense when you consider what Jim Carrey was put through on set.

4. The film almost featured a cameo from another Dr Seuss creation – The Cat In The Hat

The author’s widow, Audrey Geisel, actually put a stop to an Easter egg referencing another one of his creations, the sartorially advanced feline.

She spoke to Newsweek, and revealed that the Grinch nearly had a stuffed version of the Cat In The Hat on his wall – but she vetoed it.

The Cat In The Hat was later adapted in a similar style to The Grinch starring Mike Myers in the title role, although it was far less well-received.

5. Bryce Dallas Howard appears in the film

Bryce Dallas Howard is credited as Surprised Who – and when you realise her dad was the film’s director, it makes sense for the then-19-year-old to have a cheeky cameo.

6. Eddie Murphy auditioned for the role of The Grinch

Though the role went to Jim Carrey, multiple other actors auditioned, including Jack Nicholson.

7. Welcome Christmas was written to mimic Latin

The song Welcome Christmas was written in gibberish, but it was made to mimic the sounds of the ancient roman language Latin. Producers did this so well, in fact, that some fans asked for translations of the jingle.

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8. The Who actors were sent to Who-School

That’s right; every day was literally a school day on set of The Grinch.

The extras brought into the production to fill out the town of Whoville had to attend a specific Who-School to get all their mannerisms right.

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9. Jim improvised some of the film’s most iconic lines

One such iconic line – “6:30pm – dinner with me. I can’t cancel that again” – was not actually written in the script, and was down to the actor’s improv skills.

10. The movie was filmed behind the iconic Bates Motel

Whoville shared its filming location with the Bates Motel from Psycho. Jim Carrey apparently once got so into the spirit of Hitchcock that he ran out in full costume to scare tourists.

11. Multiple extras were hired from Cirque du Soleil

In one of the more random behind-the-scenes facts, the film’ stunt coordinator brought in acrobats and gymnasts to be Whos, because “their “enthusiasm was so great and they were always willing to try something new”.

12. Jim Carrey took method acting a bit too far – and wasn’t exactly a delight on set

Jim Carrey's tricky costume left him in something of a Grinch-y mindset — Jim Carrey’s tricky costume left him in something of a Grinch-y mindset

Makeup artist Kazuhiro Tsuji shared his experiences from life on set during an interview with Vulture, claiming that Jim was “mean to everybody”.

Eventually, it was suggested by producers that Kazuhiro take a break so Jim could understand how valuable he was to the production – which apparently worked.

13. The film was released under a different name in the US

The original Grinch story was far more popular in the States, where the film was released under its full title How The Grinch Stole Christmas. It was apparently also referred to sometimes as Grinch 2000.

14. And yes… Cindy Lou Who did, indeed, grow up to be a rock singer

Jim Carrey with a young Taylor Momsen in The Grinch

Just in case you weren’t aware, the character was played by Taylor Momsen, who would grow up to appear in Gossip Girl and serve as frontwoman of the rock group The Pretty Reckless.

Hugh Grant’s Reaction To Seeing Love Actually For The First Time Was Anything But Festive

Posted on 24/12/2024 by Boris Clair

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Two decades years after Love Actually first graced our screens and became one of the most beloved – and successful – Christmas films of all time, some of its stars have been doing a bit of reminiscing.

In a 20th anniversary special released in 2022, cast members including Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant came together to take a trip down memory lane.

Thankfully, most of them have long memories – including Emma, who recalls the first time that she and Hugh watched the finished version of the festive film.

Although Hugh’s response, according to Emma, wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy.

Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant at the premiere of Love Actually in 2003

“Hugh came up behind me as we were walking out and said, ‘Is that the most psychotic thing we’ve ever been in?’” Emma recalled in the special.

Hugh then responded sheepishly: “Did I say that?”

Love Actually may be ingrained in the public consciousness, but a year earlier Hugh admitted he is a little less familiar with the details of the 2003 film – revealing he can’t actually remember what happened to his character.

Martine McCutcheon, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson in Love Actually

Asked about the possibility of a Love Actually sequel in an interview with Digital Spy in 2021, Hugh replied: “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about that… I can’t even remember what happens in the film.”

He explained with a laugh: “It’s so long since I’ve seen it. You’d have to remind me. How do I end up?”

The Bafta wi played the UK prime minister, David, who falls for Downing Street staff member Natalie, played by former EastEnders star Martine McCutcheon.

In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Hugh, as the PM, can be seen prancing about No.10 to the Pointer Sisters’ Jump (For My Love), which the actor later described as “absolute hell”.

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He said: “There was this dance written and I thought, ‘That’s going to be excruciating’ and it has the power to be the most excruciating scene ever committed to celluloid.

“I certainly dreaded filming it and Richard (Curtis) kept saying, ‘Don’t you think we’d better rehearse the dancing scene’ and I’d say, ‘Uh yes I’ve just gotta learn some lines…my ankle hurts today’. So it was never rehearsed.”

“It was absolute hell,” he added.

The Muppet Christmas Carol: 30 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About The Festive Classic

Posted on 21/12/2024 by Boris Clair

If you’re anything like us, then setting time aside to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol (otherwise known as the greatest film of all time) is an integral part of your festive schedule.

From the flawless soundtrack and the costumes to Michael Caine’s spot-on performance, there’s a lot to love – but how well do you really know the festive classic?

To mark the festive season, we’ve uncovered 30 facts about the movie that even those who think they know it back to front might not have picked up on…

1. There was a lot riding on the film in 1992 as the first Muppets movie to be released since creator Jim Henson’s death

It was also the first big-screen outing for the Muppets in the better part of a decade, and marked the first time many people will have seen the characters in action since their creator’s death two years earlier.

The Muppet Christmas Carol opens with a dedication to both Jim and fellow Muppeteer Richard Hunt.

Richard died in January 1992 from AIDS-related complications, almost a year before the movie hit cinemas, with most of his usual characters being absent from the Muppet Christmas Carol, and others being recast.

Jim Henson and Richard Hunt at the Oscars in 1986

2. Kermit The Frog performer Steve Whitmire says he had a supernatural experience the night before he began filming Muppet Christmas Carol

Following the death of Jim Henson, Steve took over the role of Muppets favourite Kermit The Frog. He’d already performed the character in a couple of smaller projects, but Muppet Christmas Carol was his first film since taking over as Kermit – not to mention his first time singing as him.

Steve previously told The Guardian: “The night before we pre-recorded the songs, I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep, thinking: ‘I really want this to be good, this means so much to everybody.’

“Then I had a bizarre dream. I was in this building that was all white, and Jim was there. He comes over to me, in a hurry to get somewhere quickly. I said to him: ‘I’m really nervous about taking over Kermit.’ He looked at me. Jim would do this thing where he would take one finger and put it on his bottom lip as he was thinking – he thought like this for a second and said: ‘It’ll pass.’ And he walked away.”

He added: “It felt much more like a visit than a dream. The feeling from that gave me confidence for the whole film.”

3. Songwriter Paul Williams – who previously penned Kermit’s Oscar-winning signature tune Rainbow Connection – was on hand to make sure Steve got Kermit’s voice just right

“Paul would stand in the recording booth and close his eyes while I was singing, to decided whether it sounded like Kermit or not,” Steve recalled to fansite Muppet Central.

“He’s not a harsh guy, at all. He’s one of the most easy-going, nicest people we’ve worked with, but he was really sensing it, and if I didn’t do it just right, we did it again.”

4. Muppet Christmas Carol was not only Brian Henson’s first time helming a Muppets project – but his first time directing any film

Brian Henson at the premiere of The Muppet Christmas Carol in 1992

The late Jim Henson’s son Brian took on directing duties, and while it might have been new to him, you apparently wouldn’t have known it.

“Brian was incredibly good, right from the beginning,” Muppeteer Dave Goelz told The Guardian. “Michael Caine got halfway through the film before he found out it was Brian’s first time directing – he couldn’t believe it.”

5. The film was originally intended to be a TV special – until Disney got their hands on the script

Disney was quick to see the potential in The Muppet Christmas Carol, which is how it ended up getting a full cinema release.

6. That being said, despite going on to become a Christmas classic, it didn’t quite set the box office alight at the time

It had stiff competition from the much-anticipated sequel to Home Alone and another Disney project, Aladdin.

7. Muppet Christmas Carol’s songs have become festive staples – but there were originally even more of them

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Yes, not one but two songs were recorded for the film but ultimately never recorded. Chairman Of The Board would have been performed by Sam The Eagle under the guise of young Scrooge’s headmaster, while Bunsen and Beaker would have performed Room In Your Heart for the older Scrooge in a bid to try and spread some festive cheer, and raise money for charity, earlier on in the film.

Fortunately for those who love Beaker’s iconic “meep meep” vocals, while the songs never made it into the Muppet Christmas Carol, they are both featured on its accompanying soundtrack.

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8. And that’s without getting into that whole When Love Is Gone debacle

Depending on which version of The Muppet Christmas Carol you grew up watching, you may or may not be familiar with the song When Love Is Gone.

The emotional ballad is performed by Belle, younger Scrooge’s fiancée, as they part ways for the final time when he revisits his past. However, it seems not everyone was a fan, with then-Disney chief Jeffrey Katzenberg ultimately scrubbing it from the US cinema release as he felt it slowed down the film and younger viewers would find a whole musical number without any Muppets in it boring.

By the way, that’s why Rizzo seems so disproportionately upset when Belle walks away from Scrooge in certain versions – what you’re not seeing is that she’s just performed a whole song about the slow demise of their relationship.

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Since then, different re-releases of the Muppet Christmas Carol have varied on whether When Love Is Gone was included, with many disappointed to see it absent when the film began streaming on Disney+ in 2020.

Director Brian Henson had always objected to the song’s exclusion, and previously lamented that it would not be re-included as Disney had lost the original masters. However, it turned out he was wrong, and a new edit of Muppet Christmas Carol for its 30th anniversary arrived on the streaming service in 2022, with When Love Is Gone still intact.

Oh, and if you’re hearing it for the first time but feel like it sounds familiar, that’s because the film’s closing number The Love We Found is actually a reprise of When Love Is Gone.

9. It turns out Sir Michael Caine had long wanted to work with the Muppets gang, as he never got the chance to during The Muppet Show’s original run

Michael Caine and Kermit The Frog as Scrooge and Bob Cratchit

Although The Muppet Show was filmed in Sir Michael’s native UK, its run coincided with his time living in the US, having moved away from Britain for tax reasons in the 1970s.

“Everybody I know has done a thing with the Muppets and I always felt a little bit left out,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 1992. “But they only did half-hour television shows and I got to do a two-hour movie, so it’s great.”

He was also heard saying around the film’s release: “Every one of my friends did The Muppet Show except me and now I’ve done a whole movie that I think will turn out to be a perennial Christmas masterpiece.”

And, as it turns out, he was absolutely right.

10. The actor did have a previous connection with The Muppets, though

The 1988 comedy Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels – starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin – was directed by the OG Miss Piggy himself, Frank Oz.

Steve Martin and Michael Caine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

11. Sir Michael also wanted to do a film his then-seven-year-old daughter could watch

“She had never seen me in a movie,” he recalled to GQ back in 2016. “I had never made a movie that a seven-year-old can see. And so a man mentioned the Muppets and I said, ‘That’s it! I’ll do that!’. And it’s A Christmas Carol, it’s a fabulous tale! You’ll be old Scrooge, it’ll be marvelous!

“And it was absolutely perfect at that time for what I wanted. I could make it, and my daughter could see it. That’s why I did it. And it was lovely.”

Michael Caine with the Muppets on the poster for their festive film

12. The actor took his role as Scrooge even more seriously than you might realise

As Brian Henson told The Guardian: “One of the first things [Michael Caine] said was: ‘I’m going to play this movie like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink, I will never do anything Muppety. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role and there are no puppets around me.’

“I said ‘Yes, bang on!’”

That doesn’t mean he didn’t get swept up in the unique Muppets fun on set, though.

“It’s very difficult [to keep a straight face around the Muppets],” Sir Michael told GQ. “Very difficult indeed. You have to do a couple of extra takes.”

Michael has previously admitted it was hard to keep a straight face while filming with The Muppets

He added: “One of the funniest things that I remember is when all of my clerks were rats, in the office, and every time I looked away they did something – and when I looked back they were writing scrupulously and behaving properly. It made me laugh a lot.”

As Brian Henson observed: “He was intimidating to start with, but he’s a delight.”

13. For Sir Michael’s Scrooge inspiration, he looked closer to home than you might think

“My basic role models for Scrooge were not Victorian, they were very modern,” he has been quoted as saying in promotional materials for the Muppet Christmas Carol.

He claimed inspiration “came from watching CNN and seeing the trials and tribulations of all the Wall Street cheats and embezzlers”.

Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come in one of the film's most unsettling sequences — Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come in one of the film’s most unsettling sequences

“I thought they represented a very good picture of meanness and greed!” Sir Michael said. “My Scrooge looks particularly irredeemable and is more psychotic than most.”

Wall Street types in 1992… we wonder if there was anyone in particular he was thinking about…

14. It may or may not come as a surprise to hear that he had never sung or danced before the Muppets came along

He told GQ: “People say to me, Have you ever sung? I say, Yes, I sang in a movie. They say, Who with? I say, Kermit the Frog.”

On his vocal performance, Sir Michael added: “It wasn’t bad, I wasn’t ashamed of it. I thought I was going to make a fool of myself but it didn’t matter, because it’s Muppets, you know.

“Scrooge sings badly, and it’s fine! It’s funny! But I thought we sang quite well as a duet, Kermit and me.”

15. It’s tough to imagine anyone but Sir Michael Caine in the role of Scrooge opposite The Muppets, but a fair few actors were considered

Among them were David Hemmings, Ron Moody, and David Warner, with American comedian George Carlin also thought to have been a serious contender at one point.

16. And that’s not the only one case of almost-casting on the Muppet Christmas Carol

While new characters were created for the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present And Future, producers initially had an idea to have existing Muppet character portray the Spectres.

Innocents Scooter and Robin The Frog (the latter of whom ended up playing Tiny Tim) were both initially touted for the Ghost Of Christmas Past, while Miss Piggy was going to be the indulgent Ghost Of Christmas Present.

Meanwhile, Gonzo and Animal were both considered for the third, and weirdest, of the phantoms.

Miss Piggy was briefly considered for the part of the Ghost Of Christmas Present

17. But hang on – if Gonzo had played the Ghost Of Christmas Present, who’d have played Charles Dickens

Well, initially the film didn’t have a narrator.

“Then we stopped and reconsidered,” Brian Henson told The Guardian. “Nobody had ever captured Dickens’s prose – the wonderful way he described the scenes. So we had to put Charles Dickens in the movie.”

Initially, according to Slash Film, the idea was to create a custom Charles Dickens Muppet who would have narrated the story, before they had the thought: “Who’s the least likely character to be Charles Dickens? Gonzo! So we made him this omniscient storyteller.”

Gonzo The Great depicts Charles Dickens in the Muppet Christmas Carol

18. And what a storyteller Gonzo turned out to be

According to Brian Henson: “Ninety-five percent of what Gonzo says in the movie is directly taken from the book.”

We’re guessing that doesn’t include flirting with chickens and expressing his envy when his pal burns his feet on a “flaming hot goose”.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is a true festive classic

19. Unfortunately, changes to the original plans meant certain Muppet characters don’t get as much spotlight as fans would like

Scooter doesn’t speak in the Muppet Christmas Carol at all, while Animal utters just one word (“QUIET!”) at Fozziwig’s party.

Even Muppets icon Miss Piggy doesn’t make her entrance until almost an hour into the film – although what an entrance it is.

20. Producers made a couple of key change to Dickens’ original story

For those unfamiliar with A Christmas Carol, Jacob Marley’s brother Robert only appears in the Muppets version, allowing the hecklers Statler and Waldorf to make an appearance to warn Scrooge of his fate. Whether producers chose the name Robert as a reference to reggae legend Bob Marley remains to be seen.

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They also removed the character of Scrooge’s younger sister, Fan, who dies in the book after giving birth to her son, Fred.

21. The Muppeteers took unusual measures to make the (frankly, terrifying) Ghost Of Christmas Past work

The specially-created puppet was filmed in a water tank to make her look like she was floating, before being superimposed into the final edit using green-screen technology

22. Oh, and did you know she was played by a future soap star?

Hollyoaks’ Jessica Fox, who plays Nancy Hayton, was eight years old when she lent her voice to the ghostly character

Jessica Fox at the Inside Soap Awards in 2011

23. You might recognise some of the other human actors too

Steven Mackintosh and Robin Weaver play Scrooge’s nephew Fred, and his wife Clara.

Since The Muppet Christmas Carol, Steven won a Bafta for his role in the BBC One film Care and appeared in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the first season of Luther.

Robin, meanwhile, has played Simon’s mum Pamela in the Inbetweeners, as well as starring in the slightly-less-cheery Black Mirror Christmas special.

24. Although one of them is noticeably absent in the final scene

Apparently Robin Weaver wasn’t available for filming on the last day, which is why she’s not present in the The Love We Found sequence.

25. Ever wondered what was the most complicated part of the shoot?

That would be this sequence in which Kermit appears in a full-body shot walking for the first time ever.

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It was achieved using a whopping 10 Puppeteers, a rotating drum and a whole lot of green screen.

26. And there was a lot more visual trickery going on

The Muppet Christmas Carol was filmed on a lot in the UK, meaning all of the buildings were specially-built.

To make the streets look more like winding Victorian London, the rows of houses and buildings actually get smaller as they go along, with forced perspective being used to make them look regular-sized.

However, Brian Henson shared during the film’s DVD audio commentary that this illusion is spoiled during the It Feels Like Christmas sequence, which ends with a crane shot, briefly giving the game away.

Brian Henson briefly gave the game away during this scene

27. Signs dotted around the Muppets’ version of London also hold hidden meanings

As well as nods to film’s behind-the-scenes team, one shop is shown as being called Micklewhite’s, a reference to Michael Caine’s real name. Another is named Statler and Waldorf’s, an obvious allusion to the Muppets characters (who themselves are named after two famous New York hotels).

Michael Caine singing outside a shop bearing his real name in The Muppet Christmas Carol

28. But forget you might have heard about one supposed Easter egg (or whatever the Christmas equivalent would be)

Despite rumours that Beaker gives Scrooge the finger while telling him off, if you look closely you’ll see he’s just pointing enthusiastically.

No, that's not Beaker's middle finger — No, that’s not Beaker’s middle finger

29. There are fun details hidden in the closing credits too

Look out for “Rizzo’s personal caterer” among the rest of the cast and crew.

30. Keep your eyes open for a familiar face during the opening number, too

While Christmas Carol is the first Muppets film not to feature any characters from Sesame Street, there is a brief cameo from Fraggle Rock canine Sprocket.

Sprocket makes a surprising appearance in the beginning of the film

The Muppet Christmas Carol is now available to stream on Disney+. HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page.

The Holiday: 21 Behind-The-Scenes Facts You Never Knew About The Festive Rom-Com

Posted on 14/12/2024 by Boris Clair

The Holiday may have received mixed reviews upon its release in 2006, but over the subsequent years it has firmly cemented itself as a modern Christmas classic.

A mainstay on late-night ITV2 and one of Netflix’s big hitters during the festive season, it’s hard to avoid the Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black-led Christmas rom-com each year – not that we’d want to, of course.

Sure, it’s packed with clichés and schmaltz, but there’s something about it that is always guaranteed to give us a festive glow (and no, it’s absolutely got nothing to do with Jude Law’s eyes, ok?).

No matter how many times you’ve seen The Holiday though, we’ll bet you didn’t know all these behind-the-scenes facts…

1. Rose Cottage is not real

It might have looked like it had stood there for a hundred years, but in fact Iris’ Surrey cottage was purpose built for the film (but that seemingly hasn’t stopped people looking for it all the same…).

According to The Telegraph, the production team scoured the Surrey countryside to find the perfect cottage, but ended up building their own on a hill overlooking the town of Shere.

2. It only took four days to build the house

However, set dressers spent two weeks making it look old and authentic.

Director Nancy Meyers told ComingSoon: “It was really an amazing process to build a cottage because the people that lived there couldn’t believe that people from Hollywood were coming and building this cottage, but they did a magnificent job. We built the road, the wall around it, put in the trees.”

3. The Rose Cottage interior scenes were shot on a soundstage in LA

The inside of the cottage was built on a sound stage

According to IMDB, the scenes inside the specially-built cottage were actually filmed thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, where sets were built on a soundstage.

4. Exterior scenes were shot in Godalming and Shere in Surrey

According to Surrey Live, Jude Law and Cameron Diaz filmed scenes on Church Street in Godalming, which was dressed with Christmas decorations and fake shops for the movie.

The pub in which Graham and Amanda meet again is also a real pub called The White Horse.

5. There was real snow in Surrey during the week of filming

Cameron Diaz said the snow was fully degradable

It reportedly snowed three times in Surrey during filming, but the crew had already hired a snow machine because they hadn’t counted on any of the white stuff falling.

According to Cameron Diaz in an interview with Vulture, the fake snow that was used was all “totally biodegradable”.

6. Amanda’s LA mansion is also real

Amanda's LA home from The Holiday — Amanda’s LA home from The Holiday

Well, the exterior is anyway.

The property, located in the wealthy city of San Marino, California, was built in 1928 by architect Wallace Neff.

Like with Rose Cottage though, the interiors were all sets built on a soundstage, and according to IMBD, they cost approximately $1million to build.

7. The scene where Amanda runs through the snow took a week to film

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In an interview with Vulture, Cameron Diaz revealed the scene snowballed (no pun intended) during filming, having not even been in the original script.

“That whole scene took a week to shoot. That wasn’t even in the script,” she said, telling of how it had been just “four lines of description” in her script.

“They only used two shots, but we shot like ten shots of me running across ten different fields. And I’m wearing that Valentino cashmere, wool trench coat, a turtleneck cashmere sweater.

“Literally, I was so fit by the end of that week. I ran probably seven miles a day in those heels. Through mud and hills. It was so hilarious.”

8. The director’s attention to detail was something that was famed on set

According to IMDB, Nancy would make the actors do many, many takes of certain scenes, including the one set at the newspaper’s Christmas party.

Kate Winslet reportedly got a laugh from those on set when she dropped to her knees to jokingly pray it was the last time she would have to do it, after a long series of takes.

9. Cameron Diaz also recalled Nancy’s desire for repeated takes

She told Vulture: “She already knows exactly how she wants to see it, but she needs to see it first to make sure that it’s what she’s seeing. And once she sees it, it’s almost like she has to see it, I’d say, seven times consecutively. If she saw it exactly the same seven times, then she felt that she had it. And then when she had it, she had it. And then she’d want to see it differently. And then if you do it differently, you’d have to do it another seven times exactly the same.”

Sounds exhausting to us.

10. There’s an Easter egg hidden in Amanda’s film collection

In a cheeky nod to Kate Winslet’s film career, when Iris arrives at Amanda’s and notices her film collection, one of the movies is Enigma – a picture that Kate actually starred in five years prior to The Holiday.

11. The film was written with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet in mind to play Amanda and Iris

Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet played Amanda and Iris

Nancy admitted she knew she wanted Kate and Cameron “during the writing process”.

Speaking to ComingSoon, she said: “You know, I think a screenwriter would lie to you if they said, “I don’t think about anybody when I am writing.” I can’t imagine it, you know somebody has got to say it and do it. It’s natural to start fantasizing about who is going to be in it and I think Cameron is a great comedienne and I thought about this before I cast her and once I cast her she continued to thrill me in that area.

“Cameron’s really a girl’s girl and boys adore her obviously. She seemed absolutely the right choice for a California girl.”

She added of Kate: “Then, if you’re writing a 30-year-old woman in England you obviously think of Kate Winslet, she’s just one of the great actresses.”

12. The character of Graham evolved the most during the writing process

Nancy revealed to ComingSoon: “I sort of put him through some twists and turns that you don’t expect. Then, when I was done, of course you think of Jude Law. He’s so handsome and he’s really such a terrific actor, but I wasn’t immediately sure that he was going to fit into the genre and do this kind of work.

“So I met with him and we went through the script together and he just got it. You know, he just hasn’t had a chance to do it before.”

13. Cameron Diaz and Jude Law never really interacted with Kate Winset and Jack Black

While both sets of interior scenes were shot in LA, that didn’t mean there were many times where the two couples crossed paths while filming.

Cameron told Vulture: “I did a lot of acting on my own, and just with Jude. Because we only had one scene with Jack and Kate. Our characters never crossed over. Basically Kate and Jack did their movie; Jude and I did ours. We only had the one scene at the end, where we all came together.”

She added: “Jude and I had a lot of fun shooting our bits.”

Kate Winslet said that the moments she and Cameron did get to film together were “really, really fun”.

“She’s extremely hard working and she’s a great team member,” she told Collider. “But our paths would cross, you know, sometimes we’d be shooting, for example, the scene with Jack and I in the video store. Cameron sort of happened to be around in the area and she came by, and she was there for sort of, half of the shooting day. And she was just giving support and making us all feel that we were a part of the same thing together, you know, she was very aware of that. And she’s a truly fantastic person.”

14. The ending was actually one of the first scenes the cast filmed

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Cameron told Vulture that the New Year’s party where Iris and Miles join Amanda and Graham at his cottage in the final moments of the film were actually shot “kind of at the beginning of the shoot”.

15. Dustin Hoffman’s cameo happened by pure chance

Dustin Hoffman made a cameo in The Holiday

The acting legend features in the scene where Iris and Miles are in the video store, but he was actually never supposed to be in the film.

According to the film’s DVD commentary, Dustin was having lunch nearby and noticed all the cameras outside where Kate Winslet and Jack Black were filming and popped in to see what was happening.

Having already known director Nancy Meyers, they facilitated a cameo, which made the final cut.

16. Lindsay Lohan’s cameo also came about because of the director

Lindsay Lohan and James Franco also popped up in a film trailer Amanda was working on

Lindsay popped up in The Holiday in the film trailer Amanda was editing at the start of the movie.

Her cameo came about as Nancy had previously directed Lindsay some eight years earlier in her breakthrough role in The Parent Trap.

Nancy told ComingSoon: “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.”

17. Kate Winslet already had a personal connection to Rufus Sewell

Rufus Sewell and Kate Winslet pictured together at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997

Iris spends a lot of time in the film trying to get over her love-rat colleague Jasper, who is played by Rufus Sewell.

Kate and Rufus had some history of their own, having previously been in a relationship back in the 90s.

18. There’s a factual error in the film

Arthur and Iris discuss the fact Cary Grant is from Surrey, but actually, they’re wrong as the acting legend is originally from Bristol.

19. The director had to keep reminding Eli Wallach to act older

In an interview with Collider, Kate recalled how the acting legend, who portrayed Arthur, was much more sprightly than the character who he was playing, despite being 90 when the film was made.

As a result, the director would have to remind him to play “older” than he felt.

Kate said: “He has this incredible energy and Nancy [Meyers] would say to him all the time, she’d say, ‘Could you act a little more seventy?’ He’s just he’s like a sixty year-old. He moves around much, kind of, freer than you would expect a person at the age of 90 to, he was just incredible… incredible.”

Sadly, Eli passed away in 2014 at the age of 98.

20. Eli had just as many anecdotes as Arthur too

Kate told Collider: “He would sit me down between takes and he say, ‘I’m gonna tell you another story.’ And he would sit me down and he’d say, ‘Now the thing about Marilyn [Monroe]…’ And I’d be like, oh [expressing excitement] and he’d just come out with these glorious anecdotes. Just fantastic stories of experiences that he has had that were directly useful in playing Iris, because she had that level of fascination with Arthur, and I just had it, I just had it. It was there everyday with Eli.”

21. The director added in the ‘boob graze’ moment after something similar happened on set

Remember the bit in the Sushi bar where Miles accidentally grazes Iris’ breast? Well, Nancy Meyers added that in the film after a similar thing happened with her and Jack Black on set.

She told ComingSoon: “One day on the set he bumped into me and said, ‘Oh, sorry about the boob graze,’ and I just laughed so hard because men bump into women all the time like that and act like they didn’t do it, but he immediately said sorry about the boob graze so I wrote it into the next scene he did.”

‘The blame should be firmly placed at the door of Bridget Jones’

Other experts argued that the drink had simply taken a new direction

Daniel Craig

Danielle Deadwyler

Denzel Washington

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Margaret Qualley

Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Pamela Anderson

Stanley Tucci

Denis Villeneuve

Angelina Jolie

Selena Gomez

1. Jim Carrey underwent torture endurance training to help him tolerate the Grinch prosthetics

2. Director Ron Howard became The Grinch on set for a day

3. The Grinch is actually an Oscar-winning film

4. The film almost featured a cameo from another Dr Seuss creation – The Cat In The Hat

5. Bryce Dallas Howard appears in the film

6. Eddie Murphy auditioned for the role of The Grinch

7. Welcome Christmas was written to mimic Latin

8. The Who actors were sent to Who-School

9. Jim improvised some of the film’s most iconic lines

10. The movie was filmed behind the iconic Bates Motel

11. Multiple extras were hired from Cirque du Soleil

12. Jim Carrey took method acting a bit too far – and wasn’t exactly a delight on set

13. The film was released under a different name in the US

14. And yes… Cindy Lou Who did, indeed, grow up to be a rock singer

1. There was a lot riding on the film in 1992 as the first Muppets movie to be released since creator Jim Henson’s death

2. Kermit The Frog performer Steve Whitmire says he had a supernatural experience the night before he began filming Muppet Christmas Carol

3. Songwriter Paul Williams – who previously penned Kermit’s Oscar-winning signature tune Rainbow Connection – was on hand to make sure Steve got Kermit’s voice just right

4. Muppet Christmas Carol was not only Brian Henson’s first time helming a Muppets project – but his first time directing any film

5. The film was originally intended to be a TV special – until Disney got their hands on the script

6. That being said, despite going on to become a Christmas classic, it didn’t quite set the box office alight at the time

7. Muppet Christmas Carol’s songs have become festive staples – but there were originally even more of them

8. And that’s without getting into that whole When Love Is Gone debacle

9. It turns out Sir Michael Caine had long wanted to work with the Muppets gang, as he never got the chance to during The Muppet Show’s original run

10. The actor did have a previous connection with The Muppets, though

11. Sir Michael also wanted to do a film his then-seven-year-old daughter could watch

12. The actor took his role as Scrooge even more seriously than you might realise

13. For Sir Michael’s Scrooge inspiration, he looked closer to home than you might think

14. It may or may not come as a surprise to hear that he had never sung or danced before the Muppets came along

15. It’s tough to imagine anyone but Sir Michael Caine in the role of Scrooge opposite The Muppets, but a fair few actors were considered

16. And that’s not the only one case of almost-casting on the Muppet Christmas Carol

17. But hang on – if Gonzo had played the Ghost Of Christmas Present, who’d have played Charles Dickens

18. And what a storyteller Gonzo turned out to be

19. Unfortunately, changes to the original plans meant certain Muppet characters don’t get as much spotlight as fans would like

20. Producers made a couple of key change to Dickens’ original story

21. The Muppeteers took unusual measures to make the (frankly, terrifying) Ghost Of Christmas Past work

22. Oh, and did you know she was played by a future soap star?

23. You might recognise some of the other human actors too

24. Although one of them is noticeably absent in the final scene

25. Ever wondered what was the most complicated part of the shoot?

26. And there was a lot more visual trickery going on

27. Signs dotted around the Muppets’ version of London also hold hidden meanings

28. But forget you might have heard about one supposed Easter egg (or whatever the Christmas equivalent would be)

29. There are fun details hidden in the closing credits too

30. Keep your eyes open for a familiar face during the opening number, too

1. Rose Cottage is not real

2. It only took four days to build the house

3. The Rose Cottage interior scenes were shot on a soundstage in LA

4. Exterior scenes were shot in Godalming and Shere in Surrey

5. There was real snow in Surrey during the week of filming

6. Amanda’s LA mansion is also real

7. The scene where Amanda runs through the snow took a week to film

8. The director’s attention to detail was something that was famed on set

9. Cameron Diaz also recalled Nancy’s desire for repeated takes

10. There’s an Easter egg hidden in Amanda’s film collection

11. The film was written with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet in mind to play Amanda and Iris

12. The character of Graham evolved the most during the writing process

13. Cameron Diaz and Jude Law never really interacted with Kate Winset and Jack Black

14. The ending was actually one of the first scenes the cast filmed

15. Dustin Hoffman’s cameo happened by pure chance

16. Lindsay Lohan’s cameo also came about because of the director

17. Kate Winslet already had a personal connection to Rufus Sewell

18. There’s a factual error in the film

19. The director had to keep reminding Eli Wallach to act older

20. Eli had just as many anecdotes as Arthur too

21. The director added in the ‘boob graze’ moment after something similar happened on set