Like In level of fact's Keira Knightley Shares How She Mounted Cue Card Scene to Manufacture It Less “Creepy”
Keira Knightley printed that Like In level of fact director Richard Curtis made her re-shoot her iconic cue card scene with costar Andrew Lincoln in the 2003 film to provide it less “creepy.”
Keira Knightley needed to position apart her pleasure and prejudice.
The Like In level of fact superstar—who performed Juliet in the 2003 film—shared that she needed to re-shoot the Richard Curtis-directed Christmas classic's iconic cue card scene with costar Andrew Lincoln (who performed Sign) to provide his grand gesture seem less “stalker-ish” for viewers.
“My memory is of Richard, who’s now a extremely pricey friend, of me doing the scene, and him going, ‘No, you’re taking a note at [Andrew] admire he’s creepy,’” Keira told Diversity in an interview published Dec. 6. “And I’m admire, ‘But it indubitably is pretty creepy.’”
That’s why Keira changed up her facial capabilities to strive to enhance the scene, recalling that she persevered by “having to redo it to repair my face to provide him seem now not creepy.”
And whereas the moment—wherein Sign reveals up at your step of Juliet, the wife of his most efficient friend Peter (performed by Chiwetel Ejiofor), and confesses his admire in hand-written cue cards—anxiety up turning into one of basically the most effectively-known romantic scenes of the closing two decades, the Oscar nominee composed sees the clip as having a “walk factor” for yet every other reason: She turn out to be only 17 years worn when it turn out to be filmed.
“I knew I turn out to be 17,” Keira explained. “It only appears admire a few years in the past that all individuals else realized I turn out to be 17.”
Clearly, the Pride & Prejudice actress wasn't alone in admitting the scene would perhaps read as wicked. Closing year, Richard—who wrote the film as well to directing—printed that he views Sign's confession as a “bit unfamiliar” now.
“We didn’t mediate it turn out to be a stalker scene,” he told the Independent on the time. “But when it’s attention-grabbing or humorous for completely different reasons [now] then, , God bless our innovative world.”
And Keira isn't the one Like In level of fact superstar who wasn't head over heels for one of their iconic moments in the film. Hugh Grant, who performed newly elected prime minster David Grant in the flick, shared that he wasn't extremely elated to shoot his memorable celebratory dance to The Pointer Sisters music “Jump (For My Like)” after his character stood as a lot as the U.S. president.
“I saw it in the script,” Grant mentioned in 2022 for The Laughter & Secrets and tactics of Like In level of fact: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Particular, “and I thought, 'Neatly I'll abominate doing that.'”
Learn on for added secrets and tactics from Like In level of fact…
1. Like In level of fact opens with scenes of vacationers hugging and kissing their nearest and dearest as they reunite at London's Heathrow Airport.
“Right here is my well-liked bit in the film, indisputably,” creator/director Richard Curtis mentioned in a director's commentary model of the film. “This footage turn out to be shot by a hidden digital camera, which turn out to be in Heathrow Airport for a full week.”
And the film's crew indisputably needed to jet to salvage permission to utilize these clips of real-existence passengers.
“Whenever they saw something they indisputably cherished, then the runner would fee off and demand the folk to tag a limited of paper, whether or now not they had been jubilant that it desires to be shown in the film,” he persevered. “I composed mediate it'll be pretty a surprise to the folk who shuffle to the cinema and search for themselves.”
As for the foundation in the again of the scene, it got here from Curtis' personal journey.
“I bought caught in an airport in L.A. for an hour and a half anticipating a package deal, and I honest saw all these other folks honest all hugging and kissing,” he added. “And that in the again of long-established other folks in the park and in the road, there's all these tales of admire.”
2. The first character fans meet in the 2003 film is Invoice Nighy's Billy Mack. He's a rock and roll superstar impending his golden years who releases a vacation cowl of Moist Moist Moist's “Like Is All Around,” which secured the No. 1 field in the U.K. for 15 weeks after the discharge of Curtis' 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral.
While it is some distance also exhausting to deem anyone nevertheless Nighy having fun with the half, he wasn't initially in the running for the aim. It wasn't unless the actor stepped in to again with a table read that Curtis knew he turn out to be the one for the job.
“I had two effectively-known guys in mind to play the getting older rocker Billy Mack, and I couldn't resolve who to demand,” the filmmaker told The Guardian in 2013. “But on the read-thru, Invoice did it so perfectly he turn out to be a obvious yes. I've by no draw told anyone else who I needed. I'll place it in my will.”
3. Martin Freeman has additionally shared his casting story.
In Like In level of fact, he portrays a particular person named John who meets a girl named Judy (Joanna Web converse) whereas they're stand-ins for a film and filming a intercourse scene. They luxuriate in grand conversations, shuffle out on a date and fall in admire.
At the time of casting, Curtis had fallen in admire with the U.K. model of The Blueprint of job, which Freeman starred on from 2001 to 2003.
“I bought linked to Like In level of fact attributable to on the again of The Blueprint of job Richard Curtis wrote me a extremely nice and flattering letter that contained half of chocolate in it,” The Hobbit superstar recalled to Arrogance Interesting in 2020. “It turn out to be admire a wrapped chocolate presented to me announcing, 'I admire The Blueprint of job. I admire what you potentially did in The Blueprint of job. It turn out to be not seemingly.'”
4. Earlier than Thomas Brodie-Sangster turn out to be solid as Sam—a British boy who loses his mother and turns to his stepdad Daniel (Liam Neeson) to again him navigate his crush on American schoolmate Joanna—Joe Alwyn tried out for the half.
“This native community middle where I took fencing lessons, this brilliant U.K. casting director known as Shaheen Baig, she got here around and she saw me there,” The Favourite alum and ex of Taylor Swift, shared on a 2018 episode of Stay With Kelly and Ryan. “It meant that I bought atomize day college to transfer to this audition, so I went to it.”
In level of fact, Alwyn mentioned he went thru loads of rounds of auditions and “a full sequence of workshops” sooner than the filmmakers decided to transfer with Brodie-Sangster.
“I didn't salvage it in spite of every thing, obviously,” he added, “nevertheless I enact rob into consideration assembly Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis and sitting down and finding out some scenes.”
5. Colin Firth performed Jamie, a creator who leaves London for his French nation home after finding out his girlfriend cheated on him along with his brother. There, Jamie meets Portuguese housekeeper Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz). And whereas they don't discuss the same language, they understand the feelings they've formed for one yet every other.
Jamie returns to England for a family Christmas celebration only to flip again around and, after finding out some Portugese, propose to Aurélia. As he leaves, his niece yells, “I abominate Uncle Jamie.” And it appears, the name turn out to be a roguish jab at Curtis' brother.
“Richard only known as colin firth's character 'jamie' so the young other folks would perhaps whisper 'I abominate uncle jamie,'” his wife and script creator Emma Freud tweeted in 2015. “His brother in most cases known as jamie.”
6. As for Aurélia, Curtis shared in the director's commentary the name turn out to be a nod to a friend-cut-worker who regarded after his and Emma's son.
7. In one scene, Jamie kinds launch air whereas Aurélia clears a cup that had been holding down his papers, resulting in the wind sweeping them into a lake. Curtis mentioned they susceptible a wind machine so loud the traces had been dubbed.
Aurélia dives in to retrieve the pages, and Jamie follows. On the factitious hand, Curtis mentioned the lake turn out to be only 18 inches deep on the time of filming.
“They're kneeling now, pretending to swim, nevertheless in actuality crawling along the underside, the unhappy things,” he added in the commentary. “And Colin bought stung by a produce of animal and his elbow swelled as a lot as the dimensions of three avocados the next day.”
8. Martine McCutcheon performed Natalie. Her character joins the team of the newly elected prime minster David (Grant), and the 2 develop a crush on one yet every other.
Curtis knew McCutcheon turn out to be the one for the aim real from the salvage-shuffle.
“I wrote Martine McCutcheon's half for her, too,” he told The Guardian. “I even known as the character Martine, though I needed to replace it sooner than the read-thru so she didn't mediate she'd already bought it.”
9. Undoubtedly one of Grant's most effectively-known scenes is when he does a celebratory dance to The Pointer Sisters' music “Jump (For My Like)” after standing as a lot as the U.S. president. On the factitious hand, the actor wasn't extremely elated about having to bust out some moves.
“I mediate I saw it in the script,” Grant mentioned in 2022 for The Laughter & Secrets and tactics of Like In level of fact: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Particular, “and I thought, 'Neatly I'll abominate doing that.'”
In level of fact, Curtis mentioned Grant “saved announcing no.” Quiet, the Notting Hill superstar gave in at closing.
“He turn out to be grumpy,” Curtis added in the special. “It turn out to be a contractual obligation, a limited of contractual obligation acting.”
As for his reaction to Grant's performance in that scene?
“I’m thinking, ‘Oh, correct he’s doing it,'” he recalled. “Two, that’s agonizingly embarrassing.”
And Grant admits he turn out to be off along with his lip-synching and dancing.
“I'm out of rhythm by the skill,” he told Diane Sawyer, “especially on the starting when I wiggle my ass.”
On the factitious hand, Grant is tantalizing to rob a bow for the scene's ending.
“It turn out to be my conception to luxuriate in the secretary woman accumulate me,” he fundamental in the special. “Genius!”
10. While it's obvious Laura Linney's character Sarah had a crush on her co-worker Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), it wasn't as glaring to viewers that the costars had been navigating their very personal heartaches off-conceal conceal.
“Fingers down, I bought basically the most attention-grabbing kiss. Sorry!” the actress mentioned on a 2019 episode of The Graham Norton Imprint, referencing Sarah and Karl's produce-out session that ends when she receives a name about her brother Michael's mental health fight and leaves to be with him. “And it turn out to be candy attributable to we had been both very brokenhearted when we made that film. He had honest been dumped, I had honest been dumped.”
Linney recalled how she and Santoro had been “slumped in the van” lamenting about their breakups whereas on their skill to film the scene.
“I turned to him, and I mentioned, 'Neatly all day long we salvage to provide one yet every other indisputably feel greater,'” she remembered, “and I mediate there is a sweetness to the scene attributable to of that. We had been both very sad.”
11. Fans indubitably mentioned “I enact” to the scene where Keira Knightley's charater Juliet marries Chiwetel Ejiofor's Peter, especially the half where the couple walks down the aisle and are surprised by musicians popping up from the church pews to develop The Beatles' “All You Want Is Like.”
While the marriage is a gay half of the film, the foundation for it in actuality got here from a day of mourning: Jim Henson's funeral, which Curtis known as “basically the most transferring factor” he's ever attended.
“At the end of it, Frank Oz turn out to be speaking and he with out warning lifted up Kermit's puppet and began to explain this music known as 'One Speak,'” he explained in the director's commentary. “And it turned out the final guys in the memorial service had brought their puppets with them, and as well they lifted them up. And can luxuriate in to you turned around and regarded backwards, there had been 50 puppets all singing. And Gargantuan Chicken walked down the aisle of St. Paul's Cathedral, and as well they all got here forward and honest this big refrain of puppets all singing. It turn out to be an unparalleled factor. So, this turn out to be our limited stab at that.”
12. After the marriage, Juliet visits Peter's most efficient friend Sign (Andrew Lincoln) to perceive if he captured any video footage of the marriage day. While she turn out to be below the impression he hated her, she learns (after popping in a VHS tape that contains footage of only her on the marriage) that he's in actuality been shielding his romantic feelings for her.
Within the scene, Juliet wears a hat. On the factitious hand, Knightley explained there turn out to be a explanation for this vogue need.
“I bought basically the most attention-grabbing zit of my existence when we had been shooting this scene,” the actress told Jimmy Fallon on a 2019 episode of The Tonight Imprint. “And this scene is the fundamental one, isn’t it? It turn out to be admire yet every other head rising out of my head.”
While Knightley mentioned the makeup and lights departments tried to veil the pimple, it turn out to be no utilize.
“There turn out to be nothing they would perhaps enact,” the Pride & Prejudice superstar added, “so the hat went on.”
13. Rapid-forward to later in the film, Sign reveals up at Juliet and Peter's residence and rings the door bell. When she answers, he instructs her to present her husband it's carol singers. Sign then comes dapper about his admire for her thru a chain of cards, including one which says “To me, you are very most attention-grabbing.”
In level of fact, Lincoln in actuality wrote out the cards himself.
“It’s my handwriting!” The Walking Dumb actor told Leisure Weekly in 2013. “It’s humorous, attributable to the paintings division did it, and then I mentioned, 'Neatly, can I enact it?' attributable to I have to mediate that my handwriting is de facto correct. In level of fact, it ended up with me having to provide of hint over the paintings division’s, so it is my handwriting, nevertheless with a produce of pencil stencil under.”
Juliet and Sign then half solutions after she affords him a controversial kiss goodbye. In a 2017 sequel short for Crimson Nostril Day, it's printed that Juliet and Peter are composed married and that Sign has tied the knot with supermodel Kate Moss, who turn out to be featured on one of his cards in the OG film.
And that wasn't the one fundamental memory from shooting the romantic moment. Knightley additionally recalled having to redo her reaction to his cue card level to some instances so that the gesture regarded less “stalker-ish.”
In a December 2024 interview withDiversity, she detailed changing up her facial capabilities to strive to enhance the scene, announcing she anxiety up “having to redo it to repair my face to provide him seem now not creepy.”
14. While there appears to be a bigger age gap between Knightley and Brodie-Sangster in the film, they're only five years apart IRL. She turn out to be 17 after they made the film, and he turn out to be 12.
15. Brodie-Sangster indisputably did be taught the skill to play the drums for Like In level of fact, wherein his character picks up the instrument to provoke his crush Joanna (Olivia Olson) at their college's Christmas concert.
“I did be taught to play the drums for it,” he told The Sunday Post in 2017. “My dad’s a drummer and he taught me in my grandad’s basement bashing away on his worn kit and making an strive to play along to 'All I Desire For Christmas [Is You].'”
16. And yes, that in actuality turn out to be Olson singing the Mariah Carey hit.
“Everyone thinks she is lip-synching, and she turn out to be 9 or 10 years worn,” screenwriter Freud mentioned on the Montclair Film Competition in 2016, per the tournament's recap of her presentation, “nevertheless that turn out to be her.”
17. What's extra, the scene where Joanna affords Sam a peck on the cheek at London's Heathrow Airport sooner than she flies again to The us marked her first on- and off-conceal conceal kiss.
“I turn out to be indisputably nervous attributable to I extra or less had a crush on Thomas again in the day,” the actress told E! News in 2016, “and I turn out to be additionally panicked attributable to I turn out to be taller than him.”
The kiss clearly left an impression on both characters. Within the 2017 Crimson Nostril Day special, it's printed that Sam reconnected with Joanna in Contemporary York and that they bought engaged—with them flying again to London to demand Neeson's character Daniel for his blessing.
18. One more unforgettable scene is when the character Harry (performed by the leisurely Alan Rickman) is making an strive to buy a necklace for his secretary Mia (Heike Makatsch) with out his wife Karen (Emma Thompson) radiant, nevertheless the jewellery salesman Rufus (Rowan Atkinson) is transferring at a snail's tempo.
And it appears, the Mr. Bean superstar turn out to be in no elope to enact filming the scene.
- “Rowan turn out to be honest taking his time,” Curtis remembered in the Diane Sawyer special. “So he would enact 11-minute takes.”
19. Firstly, Atkinson's character turn out to be written in a completely different draw in the script.
“Firstly Rowan's character over-wrapped the reward on objective to cease Alan rickman being ready to buy the necklace. Because he turn out to be an angel,” Freud previously tweeted, including in a separate put up they “nick that bit” about him being an angel in the editing process.
20. Undoubtedly one of basically the most heartbreaking parts of the film is when Karen finds the necklace in Harry's coat pocket, thinks it for her and then unwraps a Joni Mitchell CD for Christmas as a substitute—leading her to realise he sold the necklace for yet every other woman.
After she puts on a smile for their young other folks's Christmas concert, Karen tells Harry she is conscious of what's occurring. And whereas fans wondered if the couple remained married, Freud solved this mystery.
“They take care of together,” she tweeted in 2015, “nevertheless home isn't as jubilant as it as soon as turn out to be.”
And Freud says Harry's relationship with Mia went beyond the necklace.
“DEFINITELY had an affair,” she wrote, “i begged richard honest to provide it a flirtation, nevertheless no. the final skill.”
21. With loads of alternative appreciated rom-coms below his belt—including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary—Curtis resurfaced a scene he'd nick in a old film for Like In level of fact.
The scene stars a particular person named Colin (Kris Marshall), who’s serving hors d'oeuvres at a marriage. In a failed strive to flirt, he strikes up a conversation with a girl and tells her how unhealthy the food is—excluding it appears the lady is the caterer.
“This extremely humorous scene rising now about catering with this woman is a re-working of a extremely humorous scene about catering, which bore extra special resemblance all of the style down to the closing line which turn out to be on the origin in Four Weddings and a Funeral,” Grant, who seemed in both films, printed whereas doing the director's commentary with Curtis, “which turn out to be one of my audition scenes, nevertheless which bought nick from the closing film.”
In level of fact, Curtis admitted he forgot to replace the name from Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral to Colin in Like In level of fact in a line of the re-worked script.
22. Fed up with shopping for admire in the U.K., Colin decides to transfer to The us and rob a note at his success there. He flies to Wisconsin, where he meets a neighborhood of females at a bar, including one named Jeannie performed by January Jones.
“January jones wrote half of her traces,” Freud printed in a tweet. “She turn out to be sooooo humorous when we filmed that scene.”
23. While there had been loads of acquainted faces in Like In level of fact, Freud printed her and Curtis' young other folks additionally made a few cameos.
“THAT IS SCARLETT CURTIS THERE ON THE RIGHT,” she tweeted about her daughter, who turn out to be dressed as one of many lobsters in the college's Nativity play (yes, you read that real). “NOT EVEN JOKING.”
Moreover, she fundamental the boy with the crown and Spider-Man face-paint in the Christmas play is their son Jake, with her writing, “I gave birth to him.”
24. Taking a note again on the film two decades later, Curtis admits there are factors of the film he desires he would perhaps substitute.
“The shortcoming of vary makes me indisputably feel sad and a limited dull,” he admitted in the Diane Sawyer special. “I mediate there are three plots that luxuriate in bosses and those who work for them.”
The director has additionally expressed remorse over the film's feedback about Natalie's weight.
“I mediate I turn out to be in the again of, , in the again of the curve, and those jokes aren’t from now on humorous,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023, “so I don’t indisputably feel I turn out to be malicious on the time, nevertheless I mediate I turn out to be unobservant and now not as, , as artful as I can luxuriate in to composed had been.”
25. While Like In level of fact capabilities 10 completely different storylines, Curtis mentioned he on the origin had extra.
“Firstly, we had 14 completely different admire tales, nevertheless the result turn out to be too long, so four ended up going, including two we'd in actuality shot,” he told The Guardian. “One turn out to be basically based fully on a poster in Alan Rickman's office of two females in Africa. The digital camera in actuality went into the poster and heard them speaking about their daughters' admire lives. One more alive to Emma Thompson's son entering into anxiety at college and the digital camera following the cruel headmistress home.”
Within the since-launched deleted scenes, the headmistress would perhaps also be viewed heading home to address her companion Geraldine, who goes thru an sickness and later dies.
One more deleted scene reveals Sarah speaking about family Christmas recollections with her brother Michael. They demand one yet every other how they're doing now. While Sarah says “every thing's grand,” Michael will get real with her about his mental health struggles and says, “I'm in hell.”
Though Curtis decreased the sequence of storylines, he admitted stringing the final ones together turn out to be no straightforward feat.
“Though the final strands advance together in the airport on the end, it composed felt admire making 10 separate films,” he told The Guardian. “It turn out to be a massively advanced edit. The characterize I on the origin wrote it in didn't work at all, so we needed to reorder it fully. It turn out to be a peculiar four-month game of 3D chess.”
Source credit : eonline.com
