'Holidate' star Luke Bracey says he and Emma Roberts looked to 'When Harry Met Sally' for inspiration while making the romantic comedy

• "Holidate" lead Luke Bracey said that he, his costar Emma Roberts, and director John Whitesell looked to the 1989 film "When Harry Met Sally" for inspiration.
• Like Harry and Sally, "Holidate" characters Jackson (Bracey) and Sloane (Roberts) start out as friends before they develop romantic feelings for each other.
• "They're just friends in that one for a lot of it," the Australian actor told Insider, referring to Harry and Sally, adding, "We wanted to capture that kind of idea of friendship becoming something."

"When Harry Met Sally..." fans may recognize some parallels between the 1989 film and Netflix's upcoming romantic comedy, "Holidate."

Luke Bracey, who stars in the movie, told Insider that the Rob Reiner-directed film was a "big inspiration" for him, his costar Emma Roberts, and "Holidate" director John Whitesell.

"Emma and John and I, the director, we kind of looked towards 'When Harry Met Sally...,'" Bracey told Insider. "That's a great feat, you know?"

In the 2020 movie, two single strangers named Jackson (Bracey) and Sloane (Roberts) agree to accompany each other as plus-ones to holiday celebrations with no strings attached. That way, Sloane dodges criticism from her family for not being in a committed relationship, and Jackson has a place to celebrate since 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.

Though Harry and Sally's relationship turns romantic at the end of the movie, they spend the majority of the film as well-acquainted friends.

"They're just friends in that one for a lot of it. We wanted to capture that kind of idea of friendship becoming 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 being your true self without the worry of romance."

The Australian actor is known for his roles in films like "Monte Carlo" and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation." He also recently appeared on the first season of Hulu's "Little Fires Everywhere."

"Holidate" is his first romantic comedy, and Bracey told Insider that he was eager to take on a new "challenge." When he read the script, written by Tiffany Paulsen, Bracey said he knew that the Netflix film was the right segue into the genre.

"I read the script and I just laughed out loud, and that does not happen often, especially when you're just reading one," he said. "I was just laughing and laughing and laughing."

Bracey said he felt "fortunate" that Whitesell chose him to play Jackson, who's also a fellow Australian living in America.

The actor, who moved to the United States when he was 20 years old to pursue acting, told Insider that he immediately related to the character since he puts himself out there and meets different people.

"I really admire that part of Jackson, his ability to be honest and open, which can be really hard," he said.

Bracey continued: "There's also been times where, you know, I've kind of felt out of place and felt very isolated in wherever I've been, but then that kind of idea of like, just put yourself out there and be open to things and say yes and go forward and meet new people that offer you something different that you don't know."

"Holidate" premieres on Netflix on October 28. Watch the trailer below.