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1. Love Actually opens with scenes of travelers hugging and kissing their nearest and dearest arsenic they reunite astatine London's Heathrow Airport.

"This is my favourite spot successful the film, successful fact," writer/director Richard Curtis said successful a director's commentary mentation of the film. "This footage was changeable by a hidden camera, which was successful Heathrow Airport for a full week."

And the movie's squad truly had to pitchy to get support to usage these clips of real-life passengers.

"Every clip they saw thing they truly liked, past the runner would complaint disconnected and inquire the radical to motion a spot of paper, whether oregon not they were blessed that it should beryllium shown successful the film," helium continued. "I inactive deliberation it'll beryllium rather a astonishment to the radical who spell to the cinema and spot themselves."

As for the inspiration down the scene, it came from Curtis' idiosyncratic experience.

"I got stuck successful an airdrome successful L.A. for an hr and a fractional waiting for a package, and I conscionable saw each these radical conscionable each hugging and kissing," helium added. "And you recognize that down mean radical successful the parkland and successful the street, there's each these stories of love."

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2. The archetypal quality fans conscionable successful the 2003 movie is Bill Nighy's Billy Mack. He's a stone and rotation prima approaching his aureate years who releases a vacation screen of Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around," which secured the No. 1 spot successful the U.K. for 15 weeks aft the merchandise of Curtis' 1994 movie Four Weddings and a Funeral.

While it tin beryllium hard to ideate anyone but Nighy playing the part, helium wasn't initially successful the moving for the role. It wasn't until the histrion stepped successful to assistance with a array work that Curtis knew helium was the 1 for the job.

"I had 2 celebrated guys successful caput to play the aging rocker Billy Mack, and I couldn't determine who to ask," the filmmaker told The Guardian successful 2013. "But astatine the read-through, Bill did it truthful perfectly helium became a definite yes. I've ne'er told anyone other who I wanted. I'll enactment it successful my will."

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3. Martin Freeman has besides shared his casting story.

In Love Actually, helium portrays a antheral named John who meets a pistillate named Judy (Joanna Page) portion they're stand-ins for a movie and filming a enactment scene. They person large conversations, spell retired connected a day and autumn successful love.

At the clip of casting, Curtis had fallen successful emotion with the U.K. mentation of The Office, which Freeman starred connected from 2001 to 2003.

"I got attached to Love Actually due to the fact that connected the backmost of The Office Richard Curtis wrote maine a precise bully and flattering missive that contained a portion of cocoa successful it," The Hobbit star recalled to Vanity Fair successful 2020. "It was similar a wrapped cocoa presented to maine saying, 'I emotion The Office. I emotion what you did successful The Office. It was amazing.'"

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4. Before Thomas Brodie-Sangster was formed arsenic Sam—a British lad who loses his ma and turns to his stepdad Daniel (Liam Neeson) to assistance him navigate his crush connected American schoolmate Joanna—Joe Alwyn tried retired for the part.

"This section assemblage halfway wherever I took fencing lessons, this superb U.K. casting manager called Shaheen Baig, she came astir and she saw maine there," The Favourite alum and ex of Taylor Swift, shared connected a 2018 occurrence of Live With Kelly and Ryan. "It meant that I got clip disconnected schoolhouse to spell to this audition, truthful I went to it."

In fact, Alwyn said helium went done respective rounds of auditions and "a full bid of workshops" earlier the filmmakers decided to spell with Brodie-Sangster.

"I didn't get it successful the end, obviously," helium added, "but I bash retrieve gathering Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis and sitting down and speechmaking immoderate scenes."

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5. Colin Firth played Jamie, a writer who leaves London for his French state location aft learning his woman cheated connected him with his brother. There, Jamie meets Portuguese housekeeper Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz). And portion they don't talk the aforesaid language, they recognize the feelings they've formed for each other.

Jamie returns to England for a household Christmas enactment lone to crook backmost astir and, aft learning immoderate Portugese, suggest to Aurélia. As helium leaves, his niece yells, "I hatred Uncle Jamie." And apparently, the sanction was a playful jab astatine Curtis' brother.

"Richard lone called colin firth's quality 'jamie' truthful the kids could accidental 'I hatred uncle jamie,'" his woman and publication writer Emma Freud tweeted successful 2015. "His member is called jamie."

6. As for Aurélia, Curtis shared successful the director's commentary the sanction was a motion to a friend-slash-employee who looked aft his and Emma's son.

7. In 1 scene, Jamie types extracurricular portion Aurélia clears a cupful that had been holding down his papers, resulting successful the upwind sweeping them into a lake. Curtis said they utilized a upwind instrumentality truthful large the lines were dubbed.

Aurélia dives successful to retrieve the pages, and Jamie follows. However, Curtis said the water was lone 18 inches heavy astatine the clip of filming.

"They're kneeling now, pretending to swim, but really crawling on the bottom, the mediocre things," helium added successful the commentary. "And Colin got stung by a benignant of carnal and his elbow swelled up to the size of 3 avocados the adjacent day."

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8. Martine McCutcheon played Natalie. Her quality joins the unit of the recently elected premier minster David (Grant), and the 2 make a crush connected each other.

Curtis knew McCutcheon was the 1 for the relation close from the get-go.

"I wrote Martine McCutcheon's portion for her, too," helium told The Guardian. "I adjacent called the quality Martine, though I had to alteration it earlier the read-through truthful she didn't deliberation she'd already got it."

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9. One of Grant's astir celebrated scenes is erstwhile helium does a celebratory creation to The Pointer Sisters' opus "Jump (For My Love)" aft lasting up to the U.S. president. However, the histrion wasn't thrilled astir having to bust retired immoderate moves.

"I deliberation I saw it successful the script," Grant said successful 2022 for The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Special, "and I thought, 'Well I'll hatred doing that.'"

In fact, Curtis said Grant "kept saying no." Still, the Notting Hill prima gave successful eventually.

"He was grumpy," Curtis added successful the special. "It was a contractual obligation, a spot of contractual work acting."

As for his absorption to Grant's show successful that scene?

"I’m thinking, ‘Oh, bully he’s doing it,'" helium recalled. "Two, that’s agonizingly embarrassing.”

And Grant admits helium was disconnected with his lip-synching and dancing.

"I'm retired of bushed by the way," he told Diane Sawyer, "especially astatine the opening erstwhile I wiggle my ass.”

However, Grant is consenting to instrumentality a bow for the scene's ending.

"It was my thought to person the caput woman drawback me," helium noted successful the special. "Genius!"

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10. While it's wide Laura Linney's quality Sarah had a crush connected her co-worker Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), it wasn't arsenic evident to viewers that the costars were navigating their ain heartaches off-screen.

"Hands down, I got the champion kiss. Sorry!" the histrion said connected a 2019 occurrence of The Graham Norton Show, referencing Sarah and Karl's make-out league that ends erstwhile she receives a telephone astir her member Michael's intelligence wellness conflict and leaves to beryllium with him. "And it was saccharine due to the fact that we were some precise brokenhearted erstwhile we made that movie. He had conscionable been dumped, I had conscionable been dumped."

Linney recalled however she and Santoro were "slumped successful the van" lamenting astir their breakups portion connected their mode to movie the scene.

"I turned to him, and I said, 'Well each time agelong we get to marque each different consciousness better,'" she remembered, "and I deliberation determination is simply a sweetness to the country due to the fact that of that. We were some precise sad."

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11. Fans surely said "I do" to the country wherever Keira Knightley's charater Juliet marries Chiwetel Ejiofor's Peter, particularly the portion wherever the mates walks down the aisle and are amazed by musicians popping up from the religion pews to execute The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love."

While the wedding is simply a joyful portion of the film, the inspiration for it really came from a time of mourning: Jim Henson's funeral, which Curtis called "the astir moving thing" he's ever attended.

"At the extremity of it, Frank Oz was talking and helium abruptly lifted up Kermit's puppet and started to sing this opus called 'One Voice,'" helium explained successful the director's commentary. "And it turned retired each the guys successful the memorial work had brought their puppets with them, and they lifted them up. And erstwhile you turned astir and looked backwards, determination were 50 puppets each singing. And Big Bird walked down the aisle of St. Paul's Cathedral, and they each came guardant and conscionable this monolithic chorus of puppets each singing. It was an bonzer thing. So, this was our small stab astatine that."

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12. After the wedding, Juliet visits Peter's champion person Mark (Andrew Lincoln) to spot if helium captured immoderate video footage of the wedding day. While she was nether the content helium hated her, she learns (after popping successful a VHS portion featuring footage of lone her astatine the wedding) that he's really been shielding his romanticist feelings for her. 

In the scene, Juliet wears a hat. However, Knightley explained determination was a crushed for this manner choice.

“I got the biggest zit of my beingness erstwhile we were shooting this scene,” the histrion told Jimmy Fallon connected a 2019 occurrence of The Tonight Show. “And this country is the important one, isn’t it? It was similar different caput increasing retired of my head."

While Knightley said the constitution and lighting departments tried to fell the pimple, it was nary use.

"There was thing they could do," the Pride & Prejudice prima added, "so the chapeau went on."

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13. Fast-forward to aboriginal successful the movie, Mark shows up astatine Juliet and Peter's location and rings the doorway bell. When she answers, helium instructs her to archer her hubby it's carol singers. Mark past comes cleanable astir his emotion for her done a bid of cards, including 1 that says "To me, you are perfect." 

In fact, Lincoln really wrote retired the cards himself.

"It is my handwriting!" The Walking Dead histrion told Entertainment Weekly successful 2013. "It’s funny, due to the fact that the creation section did it, and past I said, 'Well, tin I bash it?' due to the fact that I similar to deliberation that my handwriting is truly good. Actually, it ended up with maine having to benignant of hint implicit the creation department’s, truthful it is my handwriting, but with a benignant of pencil stencil underneath."

Juliet and Mark past portion ways aft she gives him a arguable buss goodbye. In a 2017 sequel abbreviated for Red Nose Day, it's revealed that Juliet and Peter are inactive joined and that Mark has tied the knot with supermodel Kate Moss, who was featured connected 1 of his cards successful the OG film.

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15. Brodie-Sangster truly did larn however to play the drums for Love Actually, successful which his quality picks up the instrumentality to impressment his crush Joanna (Olivia Olson) astatine their school's Christmas concert.

"I did larn to play the drums for it,” helium told The Sunday Post successful 2017. “My dad’s a drummer and helium taught maine successful my grandad’s basement bashing distant connected his aged kit and trying to play on to 'All I Want For Christmas [Is You].'”

16. And yes, that truly was Olson singing the Mariah Carey hit.

"Everyone thinks she is lip-synching, and she was 9 oregon 10 years old," screenwriter Freud said astatine the Montclair Film Festival successful 2016, per the event's recap of her presentation, "but that was her.”

17. What's more, the country wherever Joanna gives Sam a peck connected the feature astatine London's Heathrow Airport earlier she flies backmost to America marked her archetypal on- and off-screen kiss.

"I was truly tense due to the fact that I benignant of had a crush connected Thomas backmost successful the day," the histrion told E! News in 2016, "and I was besides disquieted due to the fact that I was taller than him."

The buss intelligibly near an content connected some characters. In the 2017 Red Nose Day special, it's revealed that Sam reconnected with Joanna successful New York and that they got engaged—with them flying backmost to London to inquire Neeson's quality Daniel for his blessing.

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18. Another unforgettable country is when the quality Harry (played by the precocious Alan Rickman) is trying to bargain a necklace for his caput Mia (Heike Makatsch) without his woman Karen (Emma Thompson) knowing, but the jewelry salesman Rufus (Rowan Atkinson) is moving astatine a snail's pace.

And apparently, the Mr. Bean prima was successful nary unreserved to decorativeness filming the scene.

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20. One of the astir heartbreaking parts of the movie is erstwhile Karen finds the necklace successful Harry's overgarment pocket, thinks it for her and past unwraps a Joni Mitchell CD for Christmas instead—leading her to recognize helium bought the necklace for different woman.

After she puts connected a grin for their children's Christmas concert, Karen tells Harry she knows what's going on. And portion fans wondered if the mates remained married, Freud solved this mystery.

 "They enactment together," she tweeted successful 2015, "but location isn't arsenic blessed arsenic it erstwhile was."

And Freud says Harry's narration with Mia went beyond the necklace.

"DEFINITELY had an affair," she wrote, "i begged richard conscionable to marque it a flirtation, but no. the full way."

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21. With respective different beloved rom-coms nether his belt—including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary—Curtis resurfaced a country he'd chopped successful a erstwhile movie for Love Actually.

The country stars a antheral named Colin (Kris Marshall), who is serving hors d'oeuvres astatine a wedding. In a failed effort to flirt, helium strikes up a speech with a pistillate and tells her however atrocious the nutrient is—except it turns retired the pistillate is the caterer.

"This highly amusing country coming up present astir catering with this miss is simply a re-working of a highly amusing country astir catering, which bore singular resemblance down to the past enactment which was primitively successful Four Weddings and a Funeral," Grant, who appeared successful some films, revealed portion doing the director's commentary with Curtis, "which was 1 of my audition scenes, but which got chopped from the last film."

In fact, Curtis admitted helium forgot to alteration the sanction from Charles successful Four Weddings and a Funeral to Colin successful Love Actually successful a enactment of the re-worked script.

22. Fed up with searching for emotion successful the U.K., Colin decides to spell to America and effort his luck there. He flies to Wisconsin, wherever helium meets a radical of women astatine a bar, including 1 named Jeannie played by January Jones.

"January jones wrote fractional of her lines," Freud revealed successful a tweet. "She was sooooo comic erstwhile we filmed that scene."

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23. While determination were respective acquainted faces successful Love Actually, Freud revealed her and Curtis' kids besides made a fewer cameos.

"THAT IS SCARLETT CURTIS THERE ON THE RIGHT," she tweeted astir her daughter, who was dressed arsenic 1 of the lobsters successful the school's Nativity play (yes, you work that right). "NOT EVEN JOKING."

In addition, she noted the lad with the crown and Spider-Man face-paint successful the Christmas play is their lad Jake, with her writing, "I gave commencement to him."

24. Looking backmost astatine the movie 2 decades later, Curtis admits determination are aspects of the movie helium wishes helium could change.

"The deficiency of diverseness makes maine consciousness uncomfortable and a spot stupid," helium admitted successful the Diane Sawyer special. "I deliberation determination are 3 plots that person bosses and radical who enactment for them."

The manager has besides expressed regret implicit the film's comments astir Natalie's weight.

“I deliberation I was behind, you know, down the curve, and those jokes aren’t immoderate longer funny," helium told The Hollywood Reporter successful 2023, "so I don’t consciousness I was malicious astatine the time, but I deliberation I was unobservant and not as, you know, arsenic clever arsenic I should person been.”

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25. While Love Actually features 10 antithetic storylines, Curtis said helium primitively had more.

"At first, we had 14 antithetic emotion stories, but the effect was excessively long, truthful 4 ended up going, including 2 we'd really shot," helium told The Guardian. "One was based connected a poster successful Alan Rickman's bureau of 2 women successful Africa. The camera really went into the poster and heard them talking astir their daughters' emotion lives. Another progressive Emma Thompson's lad getting into occupation astatine schoolhouse and the camera pursuing the harsh headmistress home."

In the since-released deleted scenes, the headmistress tin beryllium seen heading location to instrumentality attraction of her spouse Geraldine, who is dealing with an unwellness and aboriginal dies.

Another deleted country shows Sarah talking astir household Christmas memories with her member Michael. They inquire each different however they're doing now. While Sarah says "everything's great," Michael gets existent with her astir his intelligence wellness struggles and says, "I'm successful hell."

Even though Curtis decreased the fig of storylines, helium admitted stringing the remaining ones unneurotic was nary casual feat.