Zayn Malik surprised fans at his show on Tuesday night with an impromptu throwback to his One Direction days – on the anniversary of his exit from the band being announced.
The chart-topping singer is currently nearing the end of his first ever solo world tour, but kicked things off in a different way at his show in Mexico City.
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Much to fans’ delight, Zayn opened the set with a live performance of Night Changes, which also happened to be the last single One Direction released with him still a part of the group.
Zayn with his One Direction bandmates Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Harry Styles in 2012
via Associated Press
Zayn had not performed the song – which he co-wrote alongside all four of his former bandmates – since parting ways with 1D in 2015.
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Unlike the other four members of the group, One Direction songs have never formed part of his live setlists.
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It has been an emotional few months for Directioners, following the shock death of Liam Payne in October 2024, at the age of 31.
Prior to that, he paid an emotional tribute on Instagram, writing: “I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what l’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly.
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“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever, [I have] no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace A and you know how loved you are.”
He signed off the emotional message: “Love you, bro.”
Nathan Lane has revealed that he was up for a part in Space Jam but ultimately didn’t get it because of his sexuality.
“Apparently the director [Joe Pytka] saw me hosting the Tony Awards and thought that suggested I was too gay to play the part,” the Broadway star said in an interview with Vanity Fair published on Monday.
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The Tony and Emmy winner had been asked about whether homophobia had limited his opportunities in Hollywood, leading him to mention his experience with the 1996 film, which starred NBA icon Michael Jordan alongside the cast of Looney Tunes.
Nathan had apparently been in consideration for the part of Jordan’s assistant Stan Podolak, a role that eventually went to Seinfeld star Wayne Knight.
However, Nathan noted that the film was one that he “didn’t really care about”, quipping: “So thank God, I didn’t have to do Space Jam…”
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“But I don’t know,” he continued. “I’ll never know what people say. Homophobia is alive and well, still.”
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In a 2023 interview on Sunday Today, he recalled being “not prepared” to discuss his sexuality when he and Robin Williams, his co-star in the 1996 comedy The Birdcage, did an interview with Oprah Winfrey around the time of that movie’s release.
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The two played a gay couple in the film, whose son is set to marry the daughter of a conservative couple. Nathan said he was “so scared” of how the interview could go down as he feared how Hollywood would react to him talking openly about his sexuality.
The actor retold how, when the host asked him whether he was afraid of being “typecast” for the role, Robin then jumped in and diverted the talk show host “because he was a saint”.
“Robin was just the greatest person ― such a beautiful, sensitive soul and so kind and generous to me,” he said of the late Oscar winner.
Lady Gaga has said that fans should be keeping their eyes peeled at all times while watching her new music video – as they might spot one or two familiar items.
During an ad break in Sunday night’s Grammys ceremony, Gaga premiered her new single Abracadabra and its accompanying video, which have both been massively well-received by fans and critics.
“Something that was important to me was in a video of this size that we were also environmentally conscious to not overproduce and make too many new things,” she explained.
As a result, the white cape she wears was “upcycled using old wedding dresses”, while the dancers’ outfits were largely made of “deadstock fabric” (“that’s fabric that’s been in warehouses for long periods of time,” she clarified).
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Lady Gaga revealed she explored her own archives for the Abracadabra music video
“We also use pieces from my archive; so old costumes are reinterpreted,” she added.
“There were a few new pieces. But we were trying to make something that was in the spirit of love the whole way through, something that was made with a really warm heart and community in mind.”
In other words, those of us who’ve been following Gaga’s career since her DIY, blunt fringe, “disco stick” days might spot some familiar sights when we’re watching Abracadabra for the millionth time in the space of two days.
Abracadabra is still the number one trending music video on YouTube, while the track itself premiered with the biggest solo streaming figures of her career (overtaking a record set by her previous single Disease).
Meanwhile, Gaga’s 2024 hit Die With A Smile, featuring Bruno Mars, is still at number one in the global Spotify chart.
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Abracadabra, Disease and Die With A Smile will all be featured on Gaga’s long-awaited seventh album, Mayhem, which is released next month.
When you’re a kid there are lots of things you believe that aren’t necessarily true.
Most of the time this is down to what your parents have told you (like the police will tell you pull you over if you don’t turn the light off in the back of the car), but other times it’s just what you’ve made up in your head – and nobody has questioned it, so it’s taken as gospel.
In an amusing thread posted on Mumsnet, user @Carryonrunning asked the masses: “What do you remember from your childhood that you now realise you really misunderstood?”
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Cue, a hilarious thread of eyebrow-raising confessions… (If you’re a parent reading this, it’s a useful reminder that kids take things very literally.)
I thought you got given an actual sack when you lose your job
“My dad came home from work one day with a hessian sack he’d acquired from somewhere. He then told my mum, ‘I’ve been given the sack’. It took me years to realise that a) he was joking and b) you don’t get given an actual sack when you lose your job.”
– BlossomCat
I thought you became an adult at 100 years old
“As a young child I thought you became an adult at 100 years old. Imagine my shock when someone at primary school told me it was just 18. I had a full on existential crisis when I realised most people don’t even live to 100!”
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– Flustration
I thought you were meant to drive with one wheel either side of the central road line
“My family didn’t have a car, so my main experience of driving when I was really young was my grandad. He only drove us occasionally and from these rare experiences I worked out that the white line in the road was a guideline to keep you straight – a wheel each side of it. When I got to about 8 I began to wonder how cars going in opposite directions could both straddle the centre line without crashing. As I got older I realised my grandad was a really bad driver.”
I thought ‘cash back’ was free money
“In the shop when my mum and dad answered that they didn’t want cash back I always wondered why they turned down free money.”
– EdithGrantham
I thought it was the last day of the world
“I remember leaving primary school one day and I heard the teacher say to a friend’s Mum, ‘It’s the last day tomorrow.’ I must have been about five. I actually thought she meant that it was the last day of the world. I remember laying in bed that evening and worrying and worrying… In the end I went downstairs, crying to my Mum and asked her if it really was the last day of the world the next day.
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“To my amazement, she looked at the calendar. I remember thinking, surely the people who make the calendars wouldn’t know when the last day is?! In reality she was just checking that it definitely was the last day of term. She hugged me and explained that the next day was just the last day of term, not Armageddon!”
– Feelinghurt2
I thought my mum’s heart would miss a beat and she would die
“I heard my mum talking on the way home from picking me up at school, to some of her mum friends. She said something like ‘my heart missed a beat’ and from that moment on for YEARS I was afraid that hearts could do this. I worried that my mum’s heart would miss more beats and she would die, or that my heart might miss a beat and something bad would happen. I’d lie in bed listening to my heartbeat and wondering if I’d notice if it missed one…”
– Vroomfondleswaistcoat
I thought giving the middle finger meant ‘up and over’
“I remember my dad giving the 1 finger salute when driving and me asking my mum what that meant. With a rather frosty look at my dad she said it meant up and over. I then got confused as to why I got into trouble doing it.”
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I thought the olden days were actually black and white
“I thought that the ‘olden days’ really were black and white and there really was no colour – just like the photographs. I thought that at least they had grey and different tones of black and white.”
– Whatthechicken
I thought To Let signs meant public toilet
“I used to think that when you saw a ‘To let’ sign on a building, it was a polite way of saying there’s a public toilet in there.”
David Schwimmer has claimed he couldn’t let Friends’ recent milestone anniversary go past without commemorating it.
Towards the end of last year, the beloved sitcom celebrated 30 years since it first aired on US television and became a global phenomenon, winning a string of Emmys and running for 10 years in total.
Speaking to the Australian radio station Nova, David – who played Ross Geller in all 10 seasons – was asked by host Smallzy: “Do you reflect when you hit a milestone like 30 years? Do you think ‘wow what a great run’? Or do you go, ‘god, I feel really old, don’t say that’?”
“All of the above,” the Emmy nominee admitted with a big laugh, before revealing he “happened to be back in Los Angeles around the day that marked the 30th year of when we aired”.
“I took [Matt] LeBlanc out to dinner, actually,” he shared. “We reminisced and toasted to the 30 years.”
Reflecting on Friends’ continued success, David added: “It’s amazing to me that people are still watching and finding it funny and comforting, and I feel nothing but gratitude.”
In 2021, the entire cast came together for a star-studded reunion special looking back at what made the show such a success.
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.
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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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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.
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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
Jim Carrey and Ron Howard on set
Melinda Sue Gordon/Imagine Ent/Kobal/Shutterstock
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.
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“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.
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.
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Bryce Dallas Howard
Rodin Eckenroth/GA via Getty Images
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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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.
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10. The movie was filmed behind the iconic Bates Motel
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”.
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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
Moviestore/Shutterstock
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.
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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
Ron Batzdorff/Universal/THA/Shutterstock
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.
While every year there are the same moans and groans about the Christmas TV schedules being packed with repeats, there’s one show that we definitely don’t mind watching again and again – the original festive special of Gavin & Stacey.
The BBC sitcom had been running for two seasons by the time we got the first festive episode in 2008, and what a seasonal delight it was.
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While we’d seen plenty of interactions between the entire Shipman and West clan in the years previous, there was a real moment of joy seeing them all prepare for their first Christmas together following Gavin and Stacey’s wedding.
Not only did the hour-long episode deliver on comedy and plot, but it also highlighted all those little Christmas foibles that go on in households up and down the country come 25 December.
And as much as we loved having the gang back together in 2019 for the much-anticipated reunion episode, there’s something magical about the original that made it such a festive masterpiece.
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Here’s why it’s a show that’s worthy of repeat viewing every December…
1. Pam’s stance on Christmas cards
Pam had strong views on when to send Christmas cards
Prior to 2008, we were always baffled as to why some people would send their Christmas cards before December had even rolled around, but Pam Shipman imparted some serious wisdom on us that made us completely reverse our stance.
“What is the point of sending cards that arrive on Christmas Eve? They’ll get taken down in a few days. That’s why I send all mine on the first of November. Gives people seven weeks to enjoy them,” she said.
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You have to admit, she has a point, right?
2. John who?
Step-brother John!
Speaking of Christmas cards, Pam and Mick also tapped into something we’ve all heard our parents say when they receive a festive greeting from someone they cannot quite place.
“Oh, look at that, ‘From John’… It could be mechanic John… It won’t be John from Ann and John.”
3. Doris being ‘absolutely twatted’ before lunchtime on Christmas Eve
Oh how we miss Doris
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A relatable queen.
4. Nessa in the grotto
An inspired piece of writing from Ruth Jones and James Corden.
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It’s the scene that inspired James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, and despite the fact he was eventually joined by the likes of Adele, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga in his car to sing along to their biggest hits, it’s still Smithy’s duet down the phone on Do They Know It’s Christmas? that remains the original and the best.
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We’ve also never been able to say Midge Ure’s name the same way since.
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The scene where Gwen and Bryn share their first ever mint Baileys before boarding the coach to Essex wasn’t big or flashy, but it had a quiet comfort and poignancy about it, which Gavin & Stacey always nails so perfectly.
7. Mick’s turkey saga
The turkey scene in Gavin and Stacey
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Are you basting it? Are you soaking it overnight? Are you doing it the Nigella way? Or are you sticking to Jamie Oliver, because you “know where you are with him”?
Through the characters of Mick and Pete, the Christmas special managed to perfectly encapsulate the bizarre obsession and competitiveness dads have with other men about their turkeys each year.
8. The fight
Pam wasn’t exactly thrilled with Gavin’s news
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Pam’s eruption after finding out her “little prince” was planning on relocating to Barry set off a chain of events that made this scene one of the most memorable in Gavin & Stacey history.
Not only did Alison Steadman absolutely commit to the moment, but we also saw Gwen finally stand up to Pam, Nessa threaten to “see her outside” (and Pam stupidly believe she could take her on), before Pete went toe-to-toe with Dave Coaches to defend Dawn’s honour.
Admittedly, there’s some language that we’d hope wouldn’t make it into the script in 2024, and we were very pleased when they all put the row behind them. But it has to be said, this scene shook up the dynamic between all the characters and also sent up those fights that happen in every family each festive season.
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9. Pam and Mick’s royal romp
Mick in his comedy Prince Charles ears
We learned that Pam’s royal obsession translated into the bedroom as she prepared to be “knighted” with Mick’s “special sword” – all while he was wearing a comedy pair of King Charles ears.
10. Pam’s vegetarianism comes unstuck
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As “Three Steaks Pam” faced the prospect of a turkey-less Christmas after her long-standing lies about being a vegetarian, it transpired she hadn’t fooled anyone with her stance on meat – except for Gwen that is, who had bought her a vegetarian cookbook for Christmas.
11. The opening of the ‘presents’
Nessa and Dave gifted everyone a single chocolate from a box of Celebrations
Never before had we been so eager to see which Celebration someone was eating, and we definitely still relate to Smithy wrapping all his presents in tin foil for ease.
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Doris gifting Gwen talcum powder, despite her still having a stack of it unused at home from previous years, was also a foible we’ve seen play out during present openings over the years.
12. The Nessa and Smithy sexual tension
Smithy didn’t want Nessa to marry Dave
Years before we got the 2019 Christmas proposal, there was a special moment between Nessa and Smithy that gave fans hope that the characters would finally end up together as Smithy urged her not to marry Dave Coaches.
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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?
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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.
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Jim Henson with Kermit The Frog
Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
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
ABC Photo Archives via Getty Images
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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.’
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“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.”
Steve Whitmire with Kermit in 2003
Lawrence Lucier via Getty Images
He added: “It felt much more like a visit than a dream. The feeling from that gave me confidence for the whole film.”
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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.”
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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
Ron Galella via Getty Images
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.
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“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.
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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
Blanshard/Jim Henson Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
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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.”
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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
Orion/Kobal/Shutterstock
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!
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“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
Jim Henson Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
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.’
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“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
Jim Henson Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
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.”
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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
Jim Henson Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
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“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.”
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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.”
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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.
George Carlin
Kai Mort Shuman via Getty Images
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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
Christopher Willard via Getty Images
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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.”
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Gonzo The Great depicts Charles Dickens in the Muppet Christmas Carol
Jim Henson Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock
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”.
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The Muppet Christmas Carol is a true festive classic
Moviestore/Shutterstock
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.
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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
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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
Mike Marsland via Getty Images
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.
Steven Mackintosh
Karwai Tang via Getty Images
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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.
Robin Weaver
Joanne Davidson/Shutterstock
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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 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.
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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…
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.”
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3. The Rose Cottage interior scenes were shot on a soundstage in LA
The inside of the cottage was built on a sound stage
Moviestore/Shutterstock
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.
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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
Sony Pictures/Kobal
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”.
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6. Amanda’s LA mansion is also real
Amanda’s LA home from The Holiday
Zade Rosenthal/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock
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.
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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.
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“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.
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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
The Holiday director Nancy Meyers
Zade Rosenthal/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock
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.”
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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
Moviestore/Shutterstock
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.
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“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
Jude Law as Graham
Moviestore/Shutterstock
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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
The original The Holiday film poster
Sony Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock
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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”.
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“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
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”.
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15. Dustin Hoffman’s cameo happened by pure chance
Dustin Hoffman made a cameo in The Holiday
Sony Pictures/Kobal
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.
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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
Sony Pictures/Kobal
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.”
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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
Alan Davidson/Shutterstock
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.
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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
Nancy Meyers on set with Eli Wallach
Zade Rosenthal/Sony/Kobal/Shutterstock
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.
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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
The late Eli Wallach
Moviestore/Shutterstock
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.”
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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.”
Every Friends fanatic loves The One Where No One’s Ready.
Almost entirely taking place in Monica’s apartment, the episode follows the gang as they try to get ready for a fancy dinner at Ross’ work, with various obstacles stopping them from doing so. In fact, it’s so popular that Rolling Stone placed it at number 3 in their top 50 rankings of Friends episodes.
The episode is filled with iconic moments, from Monica obsessing over a voicemail left by her ex-boyfriend Richard to Joey and Chandler battling over a chair (and the cushions on it).
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However, the scene everyone really remembers comes when Joey pays Chandler back for stealing all of his underwear by putting on every single item in his roommate’s wardrobe, and caps it all off by performing some lunges.
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But what you might not realise is that the scene was inspired by a moment from the writers’ personal lives.
Speaking to Vulture in 2019, Friends producer Greg Malins recalled hearing a story about his friend coming home to find his roommate wearing all of his clothes.
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Apparently, said friend had put all of his clothes into a plastic bag and his roommate had decided to, uh, pleasantly surprise him by emptying the entire contents and sporting them himself.
Even the roomate’s declaration of “look! I’m wearing all your clothes!” would eventually be adapted into the Friends script.
Meanwhile, The Guardian also published its own piece about the history of Friends this week, which revealed that the famous scene with Ross’ leather trousers was also based on a real-life event.
Writer Adam Chase said: “I was talked into buying an inordinately expensive pair, which I proceeded to never wear.”
The rest, as we know, went on to become Friends history.
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