Love Actually is one of the most loved and replayed Christmas movies of all time.
The story follows eight couples with very different relationships as they navigate love and life in the weeks leading up to Christmas in London. Their stories are connected in small ways, creating a look at love during a busy time of year.
Richard Curtis’s 2003 film, clocking in at two hours, features a star-studded cast including Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, and Alan Rickman, each with their own individual story.
Even though many people love watching this holiday movie over and over again, there are still surprising details that even movie experts might not be aware of.
Throughout its production, Love Actually went through numerous changes, ranging from major plot alterations—like a character being an angel—to unusual details, such as a specific fear of old furniture.
How many do you know?
Rowan Atkinson’s character was originally a Christmas Angel
A particularly sad part of the movie centers on Harry, a married man who falls deeply, emotionally involved with his much younger secretary, Mia. It’s a painful story of an affair.
In one scene, Harry can be seen buying Mia an expensive necklace from Selfridges.
This purchase revealed her husband’s affair to Karen (Emma Thompson), leading to the painful realization that their marriage was falling apart, even though they had chosen to remain together.
However, when Harry reluctantly buys the gift, he’s helped by Rufus (Rowan Atkinson), a very precise and careful jeweler.
He carefully wrapped the gift on purpose. The initial story idea was that his character was an angel secretly trying to prevent the affair.
The scene was filmed at midnight to avoid the crowds at the famous shopping center.
Rowan also starred in another scene which was later deleted.
After assisting Sam, a young boy with a crush on Thomas Brodie-Sangster’s character, through airport security, his angel character would simply vanish.
But the idea of Rowan being an angel was later dropped.
Billy Bob Thornton had antique furniture fears
Billy Bob Thornton plays the crude, womanising U.S. President who visits the UK.
He creates problems by repeatedly flirting with a younger colleague, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), which eventually leads to a confrontation with the Prime Minister, David (Hugh), who defends Natalie and challenges his behavior.
During a press conference, he defended his country against what he called aggressive tactics from the United States, and insisted he was acting in the nation’s best interest.
Although their characters often clashed on screen, the two actors had a playful and friendly relationship behind the scenes.
Billy is strangely afraid of old furniture. Right before filming began, Hugh would intentionally place a piece of it near Billy to unsettle him before he had to speak his lines.
The star finds chairs with gold carvings and velvet cushions, especially those in the Louis XIV style, particularly upsetting.
Billy was so honored to be asked to join the film’s cast that he agreed to participate without even looking at the script.
The airport opening scene is real
The movie begins with Hugh’s gentle voice, as he points to the Heathrow Airport arrivals area as evidence that love exists all around us.
He points out that love isn’t about big, showy displays, but the small moments we share every day. He famously ends by suggesting that if you pay attention, you’ll realize love is everywhere.
Although the film features many famous actors, the scenes of people embracing at the airport are genuine moments with everyday individuals.
Filmmaker Richard and his crew spent a week at the airport, capturing footage. Whenever they spotted a scene that could work in the movie, they asked the people involved to recreate it for the camera.
This documentary footage was captured at the very beginning of the filmmaking process, before any actors or planned scenes were involved. Everyone who appeared in the footage signed agreements allowing their image to be used.
Richard got the idea after witnessing strong emotions at a Los Angeles airport. It showed him that love is all around us, even in everyday moments.
Four storylines were axed
The filmmakers trimmed four subplots from the movie, as the initial plan involved a much more complex story with fourteen different narratives.
Four stories were ultimately removed from the project. Two were cut after filming was completed, during editing, and another two were cancelled before production even began.
I was really moved by the stories they told. There was one incredibly powerful narrative about an African couple who leaned on each other to survive a terrible famine. And then there was the beautiful, long-term love story of a school headteacher and her partner – it was so heartwarming to see their commitment to each other represented.
One story featured a boy who wrote a love song for a girl at school, but she ended up falling for the band’s drummer instead.
Richard previously revealed that he ‘so wanted’ to keep two scenes in the film but wasn’t able to.
He explained that the movie became overly complex, and this particular plot point pushed it over the edge.
The core idea is that love exists everywhere. People often assume that in difficult parts of the world, love isn’t a priority for people. However, my experiences traveling in Africa have shown me that this isn’t the case at all.
Richard also mentioned in a separate interview that he was disappointed to see the storyline with Anne Reid end, as it highlighted the idea that everyone experiences complex love lives.
Keira Knightley and Thomas Brodie-Sangster’s age gap
In the story, Keira plays Juliet, who marries Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor). However, Peter’s close friend, Mark (Andrew Lincoln), harbors secret feelings for Juliet.
This culminated in a well-known scene: he confessed his feelings to her with handwritten cards while standing at her door. He finished with a quick kiss before leaving, and she went back inside to her husband.
Although the movie’s plot dealt with adult themes, the actress was only seventeen years old – just five years older than her co-star, who played the character involved in the film’s most youthful romance.
In the movie, Thomas played Sam, a boy who’s still sad about his mother’s death and is trying to win over a girl named Joanna (played by Olivia Olson). He starts learning to play the drums to get her attention, and the story builds to a race through the airport where he finally tries to tell her how he feels. Liam Neeson played Sam’s stepfather, Daniel.
Thomas and Joanna kissed after a quick run through the airport, and it was reportedly Joanna’s first real-life kiss.
Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE this! It wasn’t just ‘Camp Rock’! Thomas and Olivia actually played love interests AGAIN – on ‘Phineas and Ferb’! He was the voice of Ferb, and she was Vanessa Doofenshmirtz! Seriously, it was destiny! I knew they had amazing chemistry, and this just proves it!
Ferb has a long-standing crush on Vanessa, the daughter of Dr. Doofenshmirtz.
The story begins with them meeting by chance as children, and later shows them falling in love as teenagers in a glimpse into the future.
Colin Firth’s lake scene led to injury
Colin stars as Jamie, a writer who escapes to Portugal after discovering his girlfriend was having an affair with his brother.
He begins a relationship with his Portuguese housekeeper, Aurelia (Lúcia Moniz), and they fall in love, even though they don’t share a common language.
Their everyday love story reaches its most famous moment when she jumps into a lake to rescue his scattered papers.
This lead to a proposal where he learns Portuguese to ask her to marry him.
Despite appearing to struggle in deep water during the lake scene, the actors were actually only in about a foot and a half of water and had to crouch down to make it look more convincing.
Colin suffered mosquito bites during the incident, causing significant swelling in his elbow – it became as large as an avocado – and he required medical attention.
Some reports suggest Aurelia spent almost 45 minutes choosing the underwear she removed before swimming in the lake.
The unusual way Laura Linney got the part
Sarah is a woman who falls for her handsome coworker, Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), but she struggles to pursue a relationship because she’s devoted to caring for her brother, Michael, who has mental health challenges.
During the casting process, Richard repeatedly mentioned he was looking for an actress similar to Laura Linney.
The casting director was said to have snapped and said ‘oh for f***s sake, get Laura Linney then’.
Sooner after, Laura auditioned for the part and was cast for the role.
Both Laura and Rodrigo were also both going through a breakup off camera with their ex-partners.
The real reason Keira Knightley wore her baker boy hat
In another scene Keira wore an iconic baker boy hat to cover up a ‘massive spot’ on her forehead.
When she was 17, a noticeable pimple couldn’t be covered with makeup or hidden by lighting. It ended up becoming a charming and memorable part of her portrayal of Juliet.
I’ll never forget what she was wearing in that scene from the wedding video. It was so striking! She was watching the footage her husband’s best friend, Andrew, took, and you could just feel the realization dawn on her that he was in love with her. The outfit really stood out as she processed everything.
Richard’s children were cast as extras in the festive flick
The Christmas play was particularly memorable, especially because the children dressed up as all sorts of characters – angels, sheep, and even a lobster!
The play begins with a young girl pretending to be the first lobster, which sparks a humorous discussion about whether lobsters even existed at the time of Jesus’ birth.
As the children each took on their roles, Richard’s son, Thomas, joined in too, playing Spider-Man in the school’s Nativity play.
His daughter, Scarlett, was also in the scene, dressed as a sea creature – she was playing a lobster along with the other children.
The truth behind the heartbreaking Love Actually scene
Karen discovers a beautiful, heart-shaped gold necklace in her husband Harry’s coat, and assumes it’s a Christmas present for her.
Her romantic dreams were crushed on Christmas Eve when she opened his gift and discovered a Joni Mitchell CD instead of what she’d hoped for.
When he said the CD was “to continue your emotional education,” she finally understood the necklace wasn’t meant for her.
Honestly, it broke my heart. She quietly slipped away from the grandkids and, in a truly poignant moment, just started to cry. It was one of those scenes that really gets to you, you know? A beautiful, but sad, display of emotion.
That incredibly moving scene, which moved many viewers in the UK to tears, surprisingly took Emma twelve tries to get just right.
Throughout the day, the actress repeatedly went into the bedroom, each time confronting the truth about her marriage and breaking down in tears.
It is also believed that Emma wore a fat suit during her scenes.
Kris Marshall’s scene came from another film
In the show, Kris Marshall plays Colin Frissell, a character who tries to impress a woman at a wedding by jokingly criticizing the food. He doesn’t realize she’s actually Nancy, the caterer, played by Julia Davis.
This scene was first written for the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, but it didn’t make the final cut, even though it was filmed. It was later included in Love Actually.
The moment has since become one of the most iconic and memorable scenes in Love Actually.
Colin’s character was a hit with audiences, and even now, over 20 years later, Marshall is still best known for playing the flamboyant ‘God of Sex’.
Colin Firth’s epic kiss was choreographed
In this funny and heartwarming Christmas movie, Colin’s character sweetly confesses his love for Aurelia in halting Portuguese, leading to a very romantic kiss.
Interestingly, many movie fans are unaware that the film’s romantic kiss wasn’t spontaneous – it was actually carefully planned with the help of a kissing consultant named Emma Freud.
Writing on X (formerly Twitter) in 2015, Emma explained how the scene came together.
She shared a surprising story: she was a kissing consultant on a project at a restaurant – actually in Marseille, not Portugal. And yes, it’s a legitimate profession!
I came up with the kiss between Firth and the actress playing the Portuguese girl. My personal touch was having his thumb gently touch her lip right before they kissed. It was a perfect moment!
Hugh Grant’s iconic dancing scene
Hugh’s dance scene is a standout moment in the movie, and many consider it one of the most memorable romantic comedy scenes of the 2000s.
Many people immediately think of Hugh’s dance when they recall the movie Love Actually, along with Colin’s proposal and that memorable kissing scene, and Emma’s emotional moment singing Joni Mitchell.
The mix of goofy moves, confidence and sheer charm made it instantly memorable.
Despite being a famous scene, the director, Richard, remembered that Hugh was initially very hesitant to perform the dance, and even resisted practicing it.
Speaking at an event marking the film’s 20th anniversary, Curtis explained: ‘He kept saying no.
I suspect he wanted me to get sick so we could cancel the dance scene, saying it was a shame but unavoidable.
Hugh confessed he wasn’t thrilled when he read the dance scene in the script. He really didn’t want to do it, and the thought of even rehearsing it filled him with dread.
Even now, many people – and I share their opinion – consider it the most painful scene ever filmed.
He finished by saying, ‘Well, at least some people enjoyed it. But I’ll say this for myself… it was my clever idea to have that secretary pretend to catch me.’
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2025-12-26 11:38