Diaz enjoyed the opportunity to work with Law in a change of pace role for him. “We’re used to seeing Jude’s more dramatic side and, even here, he brings a certain weight to Graham. But he also brings great humor. He is so funny and completely charming.”
Though Winslet and Sewell have been friends for a decade, they had never worked together before Meyers cast Sewell as Jasper. Acting opposite his longtime friend was all he had hoped for. “One of the best things about getting to play Jasper is the fact that all my scenes are with Kate,” says Sewell. “All you have to do is look at her and you have the scene.”
Winslet, who recently co-starred with Law in the drama All the King’s Men, was thrilled that he would be playing her brother in The Holiday. “Our relationship is a bit like that anyway,” she said. “So it was perfect casting.”
One of the plum supporting roles in The Holiday is Arthur, a wise and winsome screenwriter from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Everyone Arthur encounters in the film regards him with respect — and that extended to the actor who played him, an equally seasoned professional with a prolific resume of great films including Tennessee Williams’ Baby Doll, Arthur Miller’s The Misfits, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, and The Magnificent Seven, as well as stage dramas including Williams’ “The Rose Tattoo” and “Camino Real.” “Eli’s autobiography came out about the time that I was casting the movie, and I saw him being interviewed,” recalls Meyers. “That was it. He is in many ways exactly the character I wrote. He’s had a phenomenal career. He’s worked with many of the great legends. He’s 90 years old and a true Hollywood person. He understood perfectly the kind of man I was writing about.”
“Nancy has given me rich things to do and say in this movie,” said Wallach. “In an early scene, Iris says to me, ‘If you’re not busy, would you like to have dinner with me?’ And I say, ‘Busy? Honey, I haven’t been busy since 1978.’ You know how painful it is for an old screenwriter to say that? Nancy put her finger right on the essence of my character. She’s devoted to the craft, she’s challenging, and she doesn’t let you get away with anything.”
Besides being ideal casting for the role of Arthur Abbott, Wallach’s personal anecdotes, encompassing over six decades of colorful professional experiences, were an inspiration to the cast and crew. Law especially appreciated the legendary actor’s generosity when he was preparing for a drunk scene in The Holiday. Wallach shared with him several tips John Huston had given him for playing drunk when they were working together on The Misfits.”
Wallach also bonded with Jack Black. “I had a lot of fun with Jack,” says Wallach. “We teased one another with our own little endings to scenes, because whenever they’d say ‘Cut,’ Jack would just keep on talking.”
Observing the 90-year-old actor was particularly rewarding for Black, who explains that, “watching Eli reminds you that, to be good at acting, you have to let yourself be a little kid in a way.”
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