What’s Up With Paul Giamatti’s Eye In The Holdovers? Mr. Hunham’s Lazy Eye Detail Explained

Summary The lazy eye detail in The Holdovers is a deliberate choice for Paul Giamatti's character, adding depth and uniqueness to Mr. Hunham.

Paul Giamatti revealed that the lazy eye effect was achieved with a special contact lens, making him blind in one eye throughout filming.

The lazy eye serves as a metaphor for the struggle to see eye to eye between Mr. Hunham and student Angus, showing their growth and understanding.

Mr. Hunham’s lazy eye is a distinctive characteristic of Paul Giamatti’s character in The Holdovers, but there is more to be seen behind the curious detail. Giamatti took home a Golden Globe for his performance as Mr. Hunham, a strict and strange teacher at an all-boys boarding school in 1970. When troubled student Angus (Dominic Sessa in his acting debut) has to stay on campus for the winter holidays, a reluctant Mr. Hunham watches over him. The teacher-student duo butt heads often, with Sessa and Giamatti’s chemistry central to The Holdovers..

They are joined by Mary (Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the cafeteria administrator who is grieving the loss of her son. The Alexander Payne-directed movie is a holiday comedy-drama, with plenty of heartwarming and heartbreaking moments as the trio form their own little dysfunctional family and learn to enjoy each other’s company. The movie also reunited Payne and Giamatti, almost 20 years since they worked together on 2004’s Sideways, earning the actor one of his six Golden Globe nominations.

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Paul Giamatti's Lazy Eye Isn't Real In The Holdovers

Mr. Hunham's Lazy Eye Was A Unique Character Detail

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Though Mr. Hunham’s lazy eye was noticeable throughout The Holdovers, it was barely commented on in the entire film. At times, it may be distracting, partially because if viewers look closely enough, they may realize that the lazy eye switches between his left and right. For those familiar with Paul Giamatti’s films, it may be distracting because of the knowledge that Giamatti doesn’t have a lazy eye in real life. Rather, it was a choice made for Mr. Munham’s character specifically.

As a character actor, The Holdovers isn’t the first time Giamatti altered his physical appearance for a movie. To play the villain To play the villainous Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Giamatti sported a tattoo on his forehead. In 2002’s Big Fat Liar, a prank dyes his character’s body and his hair orange in a comedic moment. Giamatti’s lazy eye in The Holdovers may be a more subtle detail, but it’s an important one as well.

Paul Giamatti Explained How The Holdovers Faked His Character's Lazy Eye

Paul Giamatti Finally Revealed The Truth Behind The Lazy Eye

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While it’s been confirmed that Paul Giamatti doesn’t have a lazy eye, he initially wouldn’t reveal how they achieved the effect for Mr. Hunham in The Holdovers. When asked about his character’s lazy eye, Giamatti told People, “I’m not allowed to tell you,” referring to it as a ”state secret.” The actor claimed that director Payne had given him these orders because he’s enjoying seeing people wonder how they managed to give Mr. Hunham a lazy eye for the film.

It wasn’t until a recent interview on The Howard Stern Show that Giamatti explained the practical effect of his lazy eye in The Holdovers. As he described it to Stern, it was “a big soft contact lens” that achieved the desired effect. Unlike a normal contact lens, it was opaque, making Giamatti “blind in one eye” for the duration of filming, even when he was driving in scenes.

What's The Point Of Mr. Hunham's Eye Detail In The Holdovers

Mr. Hunham’s Lazy Eye Was An Important Part Of His Character

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Though it’s rarely commented on by the characters within The Holdovers’ script, Mr. Hunham’s lazy eye is still an important part of his character. At one point, Angus tells him that he’s not sure which eye he should be looking at, suggesting a metaphor about them struggling to see eye to eye as a student and a teacher. At the end of The Holdovers, Mr. Hunham finally tells Angus which eye he should be looking at, showing just how much they’ve grown in their relationship and the newfound understanding between the two of them.

Additionally, Mr. Hunham’s lazy eye is another offbeat detail in The Holdovers that makes him an easy target for the students to joke about and judge him for. This goes hand in hand with his trimethylaminuria, a rare genetic condition also known as Fish Odor Syndrome that, as the name suggests, makes him smell like fish. These details about Mr. Hunham in The Holdovers make him an odd character, but like Angus, once you get to know him more, they become less strange and more a part of what makes him interesting and unique.

Sources: People, The Howard Stern Show

Where To Watch The Holdover

The Holdovers The Holdovers is a comedy-drama film starring Paul Giamatti as Paul Hunham, a prep academy professor hated by peers and students alike. Stuck at the academy for the holidays with no family or friends to visit, he finds himself in the company of a bright-but-troublemaking young student named Angus and the school's head cook, Mary. Together, the three will create a makeshift family as they bond during the holiday season. Director Alexander Payne Release Date November 10, 2023 Writers David Hemingson Cast Paul Giamatti , Da'Vine Joy Randolph , Dominic Sessa , Carrie Preston Runtime 133 Minutes