The holidays are great for many reasons. Time off, celebrations with family, good food, and festive spirit all around. But above all, it’s the time of year where you’re allowed to watch ‘Love Actually’ as many times as you want without judgement.
It’s been 15 years since the iconic Christmas film was released and now, after all this time, script editor (and director Richard Curtis’ girlfriend) Emma Freud has finally put us out of our misery by setting the record straight about the movie’s mysteries in an interview with news.com.au.
Daniel in love with Karen?
In the interview, Freud talks about the potential that Liam Neeson’s character Daniel is actually in love with his good friend Karen, who’s played by Emma Thompson. Many fans speculated that Daniel might have deeper feelings for Karen because he relies on her for support following his wife’s death and he accidentally calls his new love interest Karen, instead of her name Carol, when he tells her he’d like to see her again.
“[This] was genuinely a mistake by Richard who had forgotten that Emma Thompson’s character was called Karen. He just wanted it to be awkward for Liam in front of Claudia Schiffer and it was genuinely a coincidence,” said Freud.
Mark’s undying love
Freud also addressed one of the cutest scenes in the movie, that could have played out quite differently, had the wrong person answered the door. In the scene where Andrew Lincoln’s heartbroken character Mark declares his love to Juliet (played by Keira Knightley) in a pretty adorable way, what would have happened if Juliet’s husband had answered the door?
“Maybe he would have given him the CD player as a Christmas gift and hidden the cards behind his back,” says Freud. That would still have been pretty awkward, though.
Mia the devil
Freud has also previously said that Rowan Atkinson’s character, Rufus, was originally going to be an angel in the movie. Well some fans have speculated that Mia (played by Heike Makatsch) is meant to represent the Devil. Is that true?
“No, she didn’t represent anything, although I can see why they’d think that because she does wear those little devil horns at the party. I truly hate Mia … She’s a piece of work, isn’t she? But no, she was never meant to represent anything; she just is a bad girl,” said Freud.
Finally, news.com.au asked Freud, if there was to be a 2018 remake of Love Actually, which actors would she like to cast in the main roles?
“Well lots of them would be the same — Hugh was a surprisingly young Prime Minister, but would be searingly realistic now. And there will never be a better Karen than Emma (Thompson), even when she’s 90. But I know Richard (Curtis) would cast either Saoirse Ronan or Lily James as the young bride (played by Keira Knightley). And definitely Asim Chaudhry as Colin Frissell,” she said.
