Fans of Gavin and Stacey are eagerly ticking off the minutes until they can see their beloved characters return in the much-anticipated Christmas special tonight (December 25).
In a delightful nod to Christmas past, an old cameo by Joanna Page has come back into the limelight. The actress featured in Richard Curtis’ festive favourite from 2003, taking on the role of Judy, a body double for movie sex scenes, alongside Martin Freeman’s John.
Through their on-screen “work”, the two characters form a romantic bond.
Although Joanna had a part in this iconic film, many fans often don’t recall her appearance, as she wasn’t front and centre among the ensemble cast.
Sharing a charming anecdote from her time on set during a 2022 visit to Loose Women, Joanna looked back on being amidst some of filmmaking’s finest stars, saying, “I just remember getting there, I was 23, brand new. Oh my god, I can’t believe everyone is here.”
During a script read-through, Joanna found herself amongst the actors, with only one group missing: the American women Kris Marshall’s character meets across the pond. She reminisced, “I was sat there terrified and I remember [writer and director Richard Curtis] said that the American girls aren’t here today.”
Suddenly put on the spot, the director asked her to fill in, reading for the absent characters, which threw Joanna into uncertainty. Torn between accents, Should I do it American?Should I do it Welsh? she thought, before committing to an American performance.
Richard remarked: “That is the oddest American accent I’ve ever heard,” while Joanna recalled: “I kept thinking, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this in front of Liam Neeson.'”
The film boasted a talented ensemble cast, including Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, and Emma Thompson, reports the Mirror.
Through ten interconnected narratives, the movie explored various facets of love, weaving these diverse storylines together as the plot unfolded.
Love Actually achieved massive commercial success, raking in $250.2 million at the box office from its modest $40 million budget.