18 fascinating 'Love Actually' behind-the-scenes secrets you probably don't know...

Publish Date
Friday, 29 December 2017, 12:31PM

The Christmas season means watching 'Love Actually' for the millionth time.

And while you probably think you know everything about the festive film, we've got ???? behind-the-scenes secrets to share with you...

  • Director Richard Curtis was born in Wellington, New Zealand (okay we know this isn't a 'Love Actually' specific fact, but we're proud of our fellow Kiwi)!
  • It took Emma Thompson seven takes to do that horribly heartbreaking scene. Her crying was also unscripted.
  • 'Love Actually' was never supposed to be a Christmas movie.
  • The film originally had 14 storylines, but two were cut. One of the cut storylines was based around a lesbian couple. The other axed storyline involved an African couple supporting each other through famine.
  • Richard Curtis always wanted Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson to play the Prime Minister and his sister.
  • Martine McCutcheon’s role was written for her, after Richard Curtis saw her in 'EastEnders'.
  • Claudia Schiffer was never supposed to be in the movie. Richard Curtis wanted someone who looked like her, but struggled to find someone... so she got offered the role.
  • Thomas Brodie-Sangster was taught to play the drums by his dad just for the movie.
  • Hugh Grant and Thomas Brodie-Sangster are actually second cousins.
  • Richard Curtis wrote five versions of the famous giant cards scene and trialled them with women in his office to check they weren't too mushy.
  • Hugh Grant initially refused to do the dancing scene to 'Jump For My Love'. “He was hugely grumpy about it,” Richard Curtis revealed.
  • The production crew applied to get permission to film at 10 Downing Street (the official residence of the British PM), but were told no.
  • Emma Thompson is wearing a fat suit.
  • Liam Neeson's always has a toothpick in his mouth because he had just quit smoking and needed something to replace the cigarettes.
  • Andrew Lincoln wrote his 'To Me, You Are Perfect' signs himself because he thought his "handwriting was really good".
  • Olivia Olson's cover of 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' was initially too good. So Richard Curtis made her re-do it to make it sound more like a child singing.
  • The Barbie dolls Emma Thompson holds up are actually Ken dolls in drag.
  • And lastly, actually is actually said 23 times in the film. 22 by the characters, once in the monologue.

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