Robert Downey Jr. Auditioned For The Holiday With The Worst British Accent Kate Winslet Had Ever Heard
The premise of Nancy Meyers' 2006 romance "The Holiday" is rather high concept. Iris (Kate Winslet), a reporter in England, has just broken up with her cheating boyfriend. Amanda (Cameron Diaz), a Los Angeles native and showbiz impresario, has just done the same. By chance, the two heartbroken women discover a want-ad in the newspaper wherein they would swap homes for the holidays and live in each other's respective towns. Amanda, while in England, finds some unexpected romantic company with Iris' visiting brother Graham (Jude Law). The two decide to have a fling, but end up seeing each other more and more. Iris, meanwhile, settling in L.A., finds herself drifting closer and closer toward a friend of her ex, a charming and funny dude named Miles (Jack Black). The film also features Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Kathryn Hahn, and John Krasinski. Lindsay Lohan makes a cameo.
The reviews weren't overwhelmingly positive — "The Holiday" only has a 49% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes — but it was a gentle hit, gradually raking in over $205 million worldwide.
While "The Holiday" was being made, it was a hotly coveted job for many of Hollywood's notable actors. Meyers was a widely beloved hit machine, having written multiple hits throughout the 1980s ("Private Benjamin," "Jumping Jack Flash," "Baby Boom," "Father of the Bride") and more recently directed three high-profile blockbusters in a row ("The Parent Trap," "What Women Want," and "Something's Gotta Give"). According to a recent article in Variety, both Jimmy Fallon and Robery Downey, Jr. crashed an episode of "The Howard Stern Show" to talk about how they both auditioned for the leads.
Downey, however, was turned away because his British accent was so bad.
Downey vs. Law, Fallon vs. Black
According to the actors, Downey was supposed to take on the role of Graham, which eventually went to Jude Law. Fallon, meanwhile, was in the running for Miles. They knew that they weren't Meyers' first choices, but both actors were confident that they would be able to snipe their competition. Downey was coming off a long series of striking indie films like "A Scanner Darkly" and "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints," while Fallon was the rising star of "Fever Pitch" and, uh, "Taxi."
Downey recalls that he was called in to read opposite Iris and Amanda auditioners, since those roles also had yet to be cast. He knew that he had it in the bag. He even felt he had the accent down pat. His reading partner had a different opinion. In his words:
"We both got called in just as seat fillers. [Meyers] needed someone to read with the gals and we're sitting there going, 'It's about to happen for us. [...] And I was like, 'I've got to have a better English accent than Jude Law at this point.' And Winslet said, 'That was the worst British accent I've ever heard.' And I was like, 'I'll check out now, but I'm taking the gummy bears from the minibar.'"
Downey, to his credit, didn't insist on trying again or that his accent was good, actually. Winslet was born in Reading, Berkshire, and currently lives in Sussex. She certainly knows what she was talking about.
Downey's firing, incidentally, shook Fallon more than anyone. How could someone as talented as Downey be turned down? "I quit the business," Fallon said. "I never went back. That was the last time I auditioned for a role."
Downey became Iron Man. Fallon hosts "The Tonight Show."