Former The Holiday Child Star Says Older Men’s Messages Still Feel Creepy

Miffy Englefield, who played Jude Law’s on-screen daughter Sophie in the 2006 film The Holiday, says she still gets comments about her role nearly two decades later. Some of those messages, she says, cross a line.

In a recent TikTok video, Englefield explained that certain remarks from older men leave her deeply uncomfortable. What bothers her most is the way they tie her adult appearance to how she looked as a child on screen.

She described receiving messages along the lines of people saying they’re “glad” she’s still cute the way she was in the movie. To her, that kind of comparison feels unsettling, because it blurs boundaries that should be obvious.

Englefield was only six when she landed the part, and she says she didn’t fully grasp how big the production was at the time. Looking back, she remembers the experience as surreal but overwhelmingly positive.

She’s also shared that she was an unusually confident kid, which helped her feel at ease on set. She recalls being surrounded by kind, supportive adults and considers it one of her best experiences while filming.

Today, Englefield has stepped away from acting and is focused on life as a mom. She’s also changed her look over the years, including swapping her well-known red hair for a darker shade.

She joked that her daughter, Frankie, initially struggled to believe the little girl in the movie was actually her mom. Even now, she says her child sometimes needs reassurance when she sees old clips.

For a long time, Englefield avoided watching the film because it made her cringe. But she admits motherhood has softened her perspective, and she’s learned to be gentler with her younger self and that moment in time.

What do you think should change about how people talk to former child actors as they grow up—share your thoughts in the comments.