Love Actually stands as a beloved Christmas classic, revisited by audiences each year. Yet, there remains a surprising detail that continues to catch viewers off guard.
This 2003 holiday rom-com boasts a stellar ensemble cast, interwoven narratives, and even a few controversial moments. Despite all this, fans are consistently shocked by an unexpected fact regarding actors Keira Knightley and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
In the film, their roles are quite distinct. Knightley portrays Juliet, a newlywed entangled in a notable love triangle with her husband Peter (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his best friend Mark (played by Andrew Lincoln).
In contrast, Brodie-Sangster takes on the role of Sam, a young boy attempting to win over his first crush, Joanna (played by Olivia Olson), with the help of his supportive stepdad Daniel (played by Liam Neeson).
Seeing them on screen, one might assume Knightley to be an adult and Brodie-Sangster a child. However, they are merely five years apart in age.
During filming, Knightley was 17, and Brodie-Sangster was around 12.
One Reddit user captured the shared surprise with their reaction.
“Hey what the f****?” they posted.
However, a Redditor noted an even stranger aspect of the film: “She was closer in age to him than both the actor playing her husband and Rick Grimes holding the sign.”
Ejiofor, who played Knightley’s on-screen husband, was 26 at the time, while Lincoln, who delivered his love confession, was 30.
This realization casts that ‘romantic’ scene in a different light, something director Richard Curtis has acknowledged.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star has openly discussed her perspective on the scene during filming.
In an interview with the LA Times, the now 40-year-old actress shared: “The slightly stalkerish aspect of it – I do remember that.
“My memory is of Richard, who is now a very dear friend, of me doing the scene, and him going, ‘No, you’re looking at [Andrew] like he’s creepy,’ and I’m like [in a dramatic whisper], ‘But it is quite creepy’.
“And then having to redo it to fix my face to make him seem not creepy.”
She further reflected: “I mean, there was a creep factor at the time, right? Also, I knew I was 17. It only seems like a few years ago that everybody else realised I was 17.”
Curtis has also revisited the casting choices, admitting that although it seemed normal at the time, he would reconsider it now.
“The great thing now is that everybody is bold enough to say anything they don’t particularly like in what you do – kind of gives you a filter these days,” he told LADbible.