The Girl From The Holiday Grew Up To Be Stunning
She stole our hearts as Jude Law's adorable daughter Sophie in The Holiday (one of the all-time great guilty pleasure holiday movies), but it's been 13 years since it was released, and actress Miffy Englefield (real name: Rebecca, though Miffy Englefield sounds way cooler) has changed exponentially.
In the past decade or so, the young lady who impressed us with her good manners, smartly pressed sweaters, and optimistic outlook for the romantic prospects of her hunky father has grown into a young woman with a mind (and style) all her own. Acting seems to be at the back of her mind these days, but Englefield is still a scene-stealer.
Miffy Englefield was homeless when she got the job on The Holiday
In an interview with Vulture, celebrating the film's anniversary, Englefield reminisced about how the audition for The Holiday was her first ever. Englefield and her father were also homeless at the time, and remembered, "It was a very unusual time for us going to the auditions with these very eloquent characters, and then we'd come home to these sorts of things," she admitted. "It was very surreal because... all I'd ever known was living in poverty."
The star-studded cast was very good to Englefield and her on-screen sister, played by Emma Pritchard, both of whom were just 6 years old at the time. "We were all so close and that wasn't just for when the cameras were rolling. We were always just chatting, making jokes, and having a really good time," Englefield recalled.
The girl from The Holiday is now a punk rock upstart
These days, she looks completely different, describing her style to Vulture as, "I like heavy studs, I like stupid piercings and ridiculous haircuts." Englefield is hugely involved in the punk rock subculture, and says, "It gave me a real sense of worth again, and all of this expression that I had inside of me, wanting to do this or that to my body, or dress a certain way — it was all completely accepted."
She still loves acting, too, with The Holiday star telling OK! Magazine (via The Sun), "It's still something I'm ridiculously passionate about. I'd definitely love to work again in the acting world, the experiences I gained from the things I've done in the past were incredible and I'd love to carry it on."
As for the attention her biggest role affords her, Englefield told Vulture she loves it, and looks back on her experience of shooting with Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, et al, with nothing but fondness. Also, she says, "I love the fact that people can look at the way that I am now, and look at the fact that I'm so different, and take some sort of inspiration from the fact that you don't just have to look one way to do some stuff with your life."