Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday remains a well-loved Christmas film to this day for a number of reasons. For starters, it boasts an A-list cast that include Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black, and Jude Law.
It's also the film where Winslet starred opposite real-life former lover Rufus Sewell (who, ironically, played her character’s former lover, Jasper).
Of course, the film is full of heart-warming scenes, including those that feature Winslet and the late Eli Wallach.
For all these reasons and more, The Holiday remains high on everyone’s Christmas movie marathon list. And while fans generally have an idea what the film’s main stars have been up to since (for instance, Diaz has since quit acting while Winslet ventured into streaming and won an Emmy), there’s been interest in what has happened to their co-star Shannyn Sossamon.
As some may recall, Sossamon played Black’s girlfriend who later cheats on him. But where is Shannyn now?
Shannyn Sossamon Was Quite The ‘It’ Girl Early On
Sossamon’s time in Hollywood goes all the way back to the early 2000s where she made her big-screen debut in the adventure romance A Knight’s Tale with the late Heath Ledger.
Sossamon soon followed this up with a lead role opposite Josh Hartnett in the rom-com 40 Days and 40 Nights. She then reunited with Ledger for the film The Order soon after but after working on the film, Sossamon took a break to have her baby.
When she returned to acting, Sossamon seemed to struggle to land major roles. Nonetheless, she starred with Robert Downey Jr. on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.
She also got cast in the crime drama Chasing Ghosts with Michael Madsen. Around the same time, The Holiday came along.
Shannyn Sossamon Pursued Roles In Several TV Shows
After working on the holiday rom-com, Sossamon found herself joining the cast of the FX series Dirt, which is headlined by Friends star Courteney Cox.
On the show, Cox played a tabloid editor looking for salacious celebrity gossip. Meanwhile, Sossamon was cast as film actress Kira Klay who was introduced in the pilot. The character was later killed off.
Later on, Sossamon joined the cast of the fantasy drama Moonlight where she played vampire Caroline Duvall. The show revolves around Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin) who Caroline turns into a vampire.
The series ended up developing some following, but it wasn’t enough to avoid cancellation; Moonlight ended after just one season.
Over the years, Sossamon starred in shows such as How to Make It in America and Mistresses. She also later starred in the critically acclaimed series Wayward Pines where M. Night Shyamalan directed one episode.
Of her experience with the Oscar-nominated director, Sossamon told Collider, “It was amazing because you just felt really confident that the tone was going to be set in a way that was dedicated and not compromising the quality.”
Around the same time, the actress starred in the Emmy-nominated series Sleepy Hollow.
Shannyn Sossamon Continued To Do Films
After The Holiday, Sossamon continued with film projects. For instance, she joined the cast of the rom-com Our Family Wedding that stars Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, Carlos Mencia, and America Ferrara.
Of her experience working on the film, Sossamon told Tail Slate that she had such a “blast.”
The actress also confessed, “To this day I still reminisce about the two scenes I did with Forrest Whittaker because I want to do it again.” Soon after, Sossamon also starred in the The End of Love with Mark Webber, who also wrote and directed the movie.
At some point, Shannyn took some time away from rom-coms, starring in the horror-thriller sequel, Sinister 2. As someone who had done horror films in the past, this was the last thing that Sossamon wanted to do.
“In my mind, I was like, ‘No, I’m too tired. I need something lighter, something I haven’t done before,’” the actress recalled while speaking with The Film Stage.
Fortunately, director Ciarán Foy got to change her mind. “I met Ciarán and we just couldn’t stop talking for two hours — and it was wonderful.” She also appreciated that the film’s story is “actually grounded in more of a drama.”
Sossamon subsequently starred in the horror-comedy Ghost Light. Plus, she has several films coming out soon.
First up is the comedy High Holiday with Cloris Leachman, Jennifer Tilly, and Tom Arnold. Meanwhile, Sossamon plays the lead in the upcoming thriller, The Undertaker’s Wife, where she stars opposite Fullerton’s John Brotherton.
Later on, the actress will appear in the crime thriller The Jesuit. The film’s cast also includes Ron Perlman, Neal McDonough, Brian Cox, Paz Vega, and How to Get Away with Murder star Karla Souza.