Love Actually fans just realising why Rowan Atkinson took ages to wrap present
This scene wasn't just for comic effect.
Since its release 20 years ago, Love Actually has become a classic Christmas movie, and each year die-hard fans of the Richard Curtis movie delight in putting the film on and giving it a rewatch. Despite how long it's been a staple part of the festive season, the film still contains some surprises for fans, and one in particular has amazed people.
The movie, for those who haven't seen it or aren't that familiar, consists of various intertwined storylines - some happy and feel good and others sadder - which take place during the run-up to Christmas. While some character's journeys in the movie provide some light-hearted comic relief, others have become fan favourites - even though they were pretty devastating to watch.
One of the best-loved of these was the storyline that plays out between Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman, whose characters Karen and Harry have been married for years when Harry has his head turned in the office by his attractive younger assistant Mia.
In the storyline, Rowan Atkinson plays a small, but important role as a shop assistant who wraps up an expensive gift that Harry is buying for Mia, behind his wife's back.
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Atkinson ramps up the comedic tension in his scene by taking his sweet time after offering to gift wrap the present - a luxurious necklace. He takes longer and longer, with the gift-wrapping becoming more absurdly elaborate, as Harry becomes more and more tense, fretting that his wife will be back any moment and see his illicit purchase.
You would be forgiven for thinking that this scene was simply inserted to make use of the famous actor's comic abilities, but the script editor of the movie - Emma Freud - confirmed a few years back that Atkinson's character is doing this purposefully.
Freud, who is married to the film's director, explained on X - formerly known as Twitter: "Rowan Atkinson's character over-wrapped the gift on purpose to stop Alan Rickman being able to buy the necklace. Because he was an angel."
Essentially, his character is meant to have clocked that Harry was doing something he really shouldn't be, and was taking his sweet time over the gift-wrapping process to try and allow his wife the time to catch him in the act.
In the scene, Harry eventually becomes so frustrated and worried his wife is about to arrive back that he stops Atkinson in his tracks altogether and leaves without a gift-wrapped present.
Freud also confirmed on the social media platform that Rickman's character definitely had an affair with his assistant, although this doesn't specifically appear on screen and the audience only sees the pair engaging in a lot of heavy and inappropriate flirting.
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