Robert Downey Jr. Thought He Was a ‘Shoe-In’ for ‘The Holiday,’ Then Kate Winslet Roasted Him: ‘That’s the Worst British Accent I’ve Ever Heard’
variety.comZack Sharf Digital News Director Robert Downey Jr. and Jimmy Fallon crashed a recent episode of “The Howard Stern Show” and revealed they auditioned together for Nancy Meyers’ 2006 romantic-comedy “The Holiday.” Downey Jr.
read for the part later played by Jude Law, while Fallon auditioned for Jack Black’s role. Both actors knew they weren’t Meyers’ frontrunner picks at the time, and Downey Jr.
was well aware Jude Law was stiff competition. “We both got called in just as seat fillers…[director Nancy Meyers] needed someone to read with the gals and we’re sitting there going, ‘It’s about to happen for us,’” Downey said, adding that he felt he was a “shoe-in” to steal the part away from Law. “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.'” Winslet might’ve roasted Downey Jr.
in the moment, but Fallon had nothing but praise for him. The late night host remembered thinking at the time: “Without a doubt, this is the best actor I’ve ever sat across from and did a scene with in my entire life.” “This was mind-blowing to me,” Fallon said now about reading scenes with Downey Jr. “I quit the business.
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