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‘Love Actually’: Where Are They Today?

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 13:37 PST, Dec 19, 2015

With the holiday season among us, everyone is reminded of their favorite Christmas movie, and Love Actually is that film for many fans. Though it is not a typical holiday film, it touches on the feeling of the season, that love, actually, is all around us. But since the film’s premiere in 2003, a lot has changed, especially a lot with the younger members of the cast.

The two youngest Love Actually couple was Sam and Joanna, who came together to perform “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” and according to Bustle, they are still working together, as part of Phineas and Ferb.

“In real life, Olson began to voice act in the Disney television series Phineas and Ferb as Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, the daughter of mad scientist Heinz Doofenshmirtz. In a cute twist, Thomas Sangster is the voice of Ferb. And, just like Sam from Love Actually, Ferb has a big ol’ crush on the musically inclined Vanessa, playing backup to her diva on many an occasion. Unfortunately for the poor sap, this Olivia Olson character does not seem to reciprocate the feels.”

It’s the kind of coincidence that Love Actually fans, well, love.

Buzzfeed reports that each of the actors have fond thoughts about the filming of Love Actually. When Colin Firth, who played Uncle Jamie, jumped into the water to rescue his manuscript, there was less than two feet of water, so he had to crouch down to pretend he was treading water. Emma Thompson was supposed to be playing a forgotten housewife, so she wore a fat suit to drive that idea home.

At the time Love Actually was released, Keira Knightly was only 18, and had not had her big breakthrough. Since then, she has made it big in Pirates of the Caribbean. Thomas Brodie-Sangster played 13-year-old Sam in Love Actually, and now plays a 13-year-old again in Game of Thrones. Bill Nighy, who played Billy Mack, now plays mostly serious characters in dramas, but back then he played his Love Actually character Billy Mack as wild and crazy as possible.

Radio Times says that there are things that fans need to know about Love Actually. First, Bill Nighy didn’t mean to try out for Love Actually at all.

“I did a rehearsal reading of the script as a favour to the great casting director, Mary Selway, who had been trying to get me into a film for a long time,” Nighy said. “I thought it was simply to help her out to hear the script aloud and to my genuine surprise I was given the job.”

Though Love Actually is a favorite holiday film for so many, it wasn’t supposed to be a Christmas film at all.

“I’m so surprised and delighted by the Love Actually thing, because when I first started the movie it wasn’t set at Christmas, then I love Christmas movies so I thought I’ll make a Christmas movie,” Curtis said. “But it didn’t occur to me that it might be one of those Christmas movies where people actually watch it again and again and it’s a delightful surprise to me.”

Claudia Schiffer was not supposed to be in Love Actually at all.

“Curtis wanted to cast someone who looked like the supermodel, but he couldn’t find anyone. He ended up offering her the part and, much to his delight, she took it.”

What is your favorite scene in Love Actually? Is it your favorite Christmas film?

[Photo courtesy of Getty/David Westing]

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