“Holidate” star Luke Bracey was inspired by “When Harry Met Sally”.

• “Holidate” director Luke Bracey said that he, co-star Emma Roberts and director John Whitesell took inspiration from the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally.
• Like Harry and Sally, the “holidate” characters Jackson (Bracey) and Sloane (Roberts) start out as friends before developing romantic feelings for each other.
• “They’re just friends in many cases,” the Australian actor told Insider, referring to Harry and Sally. “We wanted to capture that kind of idea that friendship becomes something.”
• You can find more stories on the Insider homepage.

“When Harry Met Sally…” fans can see some parallels between the 1989 film and Netflix’s upcoming romantic comedy “Holidate”.

Luke Bracey, who stars in the film, told Insider that the Rob Reiner-directed film was a “great inspiration” for him, his co-star Emma Roberts and “Holidate” director John Whitesell.

“Emma, ​​John and I, the director, kind of looked around for ‘When Harry Met Sally …’,” Bracey told Insider. “That’s a great achievement, you know?”

In the 2020 film, two single strangers named Jackson (Bracey) and Sloane (Roberts) agree to join each other to holiday celebrations without any strings attached as pluses. This is how Sloane evades criticism from her family for not being in a committed relationship, and Jackson has a place to party as his family lives in Australia.

Like Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan), the characters’ friendship serves as the foundation for a budding romance, and they develop feelings for each other along the way.

Although Harry and Sally’s relationship turns romantic by the end of the film, they spend most of the film as well-known friends.

“They’re just friends on this. We wanted to capture that kind of idea that friendship becomes something, ”Bracey explained.

He added that “all great romantic relationships,” like those in “When Harry Met Sally …” and “Holidate,” begin with “honesty and friendship and be your real self without worrying about romance.”

Netflix

The Australian actor is known for his roles in films such as “Monte Carlo” and “GI Joe: Retaliation”. He recently appeared on the first season of Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere.

“Holidate” is his first romantic comedy, and Bracey told Insider he was eager to take on a new “challenge”. Reading the Tiffany Paulsen script, Bracey said he knew the Netflix movie was the right entry into the genre.

“I read the script and just laughed out loud, and that can’t happen that often, especially if you read just one,” he said. “I just laughed and laughed and laughed.”

Bracey said he felt “lucky” that Whitesell selected him to play Jackson, who is also a fellow Australian living in America.

The actor, who moved to the United States at the age of 20 to devote himself to acting, told Insider that he was immediately related to the character since he was out there and meeting different people.

“I really admire that part of Jackson, his ability to be honest and open, which can be very difficult,” he said.

Bracey continued, “There were also times when I felt kind of out of place and felt very isolated wherever I was, but then this kind of idea like, just put yourself out there and be open about things and say yes and go forward and meet new people who offer you something different that you don’t know. ”

“Holidate” premieres on Netflix on October 28th. Check out the trailer below.