The facts behind the film

I have always loved finding out unexpected or intriguing facts.

We are very near Christmas.  My daughters will both be arriving home tomorrow for the holidays (they are working and studying in Madrid).  No doubt at some point these holidays, we will watch the film Love Actually together.  It's become a tradition (in fact, I have watched this film when it's NOT been Christmas with them several times too!)

Here's a link to the trailer for the film (in case you need reminding...)

I was looking on the internet for something else, when I came across a fun trivia article about Love Actually.  I found some of the trivia amusing so I thought I'd share some of it with you!

1  The word “actually” is spoken twenty-two times in the film.  

'Actually' is actually a very common word in English, so that's actually a pretty appropriate number of times for it to appear!!!

2  The director Richard Curtis always has a character named Bernard in his films.  Why?

When director Richard Curtis was in college, his girlfriend left him for a man named Bernard. As a literary form of revenge, Curtis writes an unpopular character named Bernard into each of his screenplays. In Love Actually, Bernard is Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman’s "horrid son."

3  The airport footage at the Heathrow airport is real. A team of cameramen hung out at the airport for a week, and filmed real families, friends and lovers reuniting. 

4 Liam Neeson is seen several times with a toothpick hanging out of his mouth. This is because after he quit smoking, he was never without a toothpick to take its place.  

And some other bits and pieces about Love Actually - it's been over 10 years since the film was released.  To coincide with the 10th anniversary, some of the cast were asked to share their current activities.

Link to this here.
Reading it, I learnt another bit of trivia:  the Director's children were in the film!!!

Richard Curtis (Writer/Director): It keeps taking me by surprise! It’s quite helpful to know it’s been ten years because it’s an easy way for me to keep track of how old my son was, who appears in the film. There’s a scene where they’re up onstage performing the Nativity play, and he’s got a Spider-Man mask on, and there’s a big close-up of a very perplexed-looking five-year-old. And my daughter is one of the lobsters!

The most hilarious moment of the whole film I always feel is when Rowan Atkinson giftwraps a present.  I've sometimes been in a hurry to buy a present or been worried about the person who it's for turning up before it's wrapped and put away, so to finish, here is the clip.  Just brilliant (as Rowan Atkinson so often is!!!)

http://www.hotflick.net/pictures/big/2003_Love_Actually_219.html

http://klipd.com/watch/love-actually/gift-wrapping-scene