Love Actually’s Olivia Olson revealed that her rise to fame in the Christmas classic nearly caused her to have a “mental breakdown.”
The 30-year-old actress, who played American schoolgirl Joanna, said she was forced to deal with cruel comments about her weight as a challenge and saw her turn to voice acting.
She told The Sun: ‘Thanks to my parents for being such a support system, because it’s a miracle I didn’t have a mental breakdown.’
Tough: Love Actually’s Olivia Olson revealed being cast in the Christmas classic almost caused her to have a ‘mental breakdown’
Olivia explained: ‘The audition process is a constant rejection, and at that age, to have casting directors literally say to your face, when you’re 12, ‘Oh, we’d like you to lose 10 pounds,’ it’s like, ‘What ?
She also revealed that she felt like an ‘outcast’ returning to school after filming Love Actually, saying she was picked on by her classmate for being ‘famous’.
“I had friends but I didn’t always feel like I belonged there, I felt like an outcast,” she added.
She revealed that this was the reason why she started acting as a voice actress, because she felt that physical appearance did not matter.
Challenger: The 30-year-old actress, who played American high school girl Joanna, said receiving cruel comments about her weight was a challenge and turned her into a voice actress.
Since its release in 2003, Love Actually, which follows the intertwined stories of various characters in the lead-up to Christmas Day, has become a bona fide holiday classic.
The star-studded cast also includes Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Rowan Atkinson, among others.
20 years after their beloved pre-teen romance stole the show in the iconic romantic comedy Love Actually, Thomas and Olivia have reminisced about their experiences.
Thomas, 32, and Olivia made their film debuts in the movie as lovelorn Sam and his American crush Joanna.
Both spoke to Diane Sawyer for the new special The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Special, which aired Tuesday night on ABC, reflecting on her first leading roles.
Looking Back: 20 Years After Their Beloved Pre-Teen Romance Stole the Show in the Iconic Romantic Comedy Love Actually, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Olivia Olson Recall Their Experiences
Brodie-Sangster told Sawyer that he “couldn’t believe it’s been 20 years” since the film was released.
‘I watched it for the first time last Christmas since the premiere. And I had forgotten how good it was,’ admitted Brodie-Sangster.
His character Sam sees aging rock star Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) as a drummer and believes that if he can become a drummer he might really win Olivia over.
Debuts: Brodie-Sangster, 32, and Olson, 30, made their film debuts in the 2003 film as lovelorn Sam and his American crush Joanna
He is guided in his quest for love by his stepfather Daniel (Liam Neeson), whose wife Joanna recently passed away, while Brodie-Sangster reflects on his relationship with Neeson.
‘I mean, Liam was amazing. He treats me like his son. He was absolutely loving to me. I just created this environment where I felt really comfortable,” says Brodie-Sangster.
‘At the time, I thought, you know, I was pretty much an adult, and I’d been doing this for a few years. I kind of knew what I was doing. So I was very serious about this. But no, looking back I had forgotten how small and young I was,” he added.
He added that his favorite memory of that scene was having pizza at a nearby store, but the interview was interrupted in the strangest way: threat of arrest.
During the chat, a crew member approaches and says they must leave because they ‘don’t have the proper license and they’re going to arrest us’.
Brodie-Sangster called the interruption ‘abrupt’, while Sawyer responded with a joke.
‘Oh, are they? Now we run,’ Sawyer said with a laugh.
Sawyer also caught up with Olson, who replicated her iconic rendition of All I Want For Christmas Is You, when Sawyer revealed that she’s still a musician based in California.
“I mean, when I look back, I’m really proud to have been a part of something so big,” said Olson.
Caught up: Sawyer also caught up with Olivia, who replicated her iconic rendition of All I Want For Christmas Is You, as Sawyer revealed that she’s still a musician who lives in California
“Every Christmas, I get calls and messages. “Hey, look what I’m watching.” I think it has grown so much and become a nostalgic part of our vacation,” she added.
She also revealed that she kept the original Love Actually script autographed by the entire cast.
‘I’m so glad I saved this for so long,’ Olivia said, while Sawyer said it reminded her of a high school yearbook.
Script: She also revealed that she kept the original Love Actually script autographed by the entire cast
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