‘ Love Actually,’ stars eventually

Ten years ago, the romantic comedy’s small roles helped launch big careers

When it was released in 2003, the romantic comedy Love Actually featured some of Hollywood’s biggest names of the day, including Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and Keira Knightley.

But as it turns 10 this month and celebrates with the release of anniversary editions in Blu- ray and DVD, the film serves as a time capsule for a second wave of stars who are making an impact now: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Freeman, Andrew Lincoln, Thomas Brodie- Sangster and January Jones, who had a bit part.

“It’s funny how the nature of the casting has changed,” says writer/ director Richard Curtis. “When we first did it, it was sort of 50% of people you knew and 50% people you didn’t know. But now the naked guy in the movie is the Hobbit,” he says, referring to Freeman’s starring role as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s

Hobbit franchise. “It kind of looks strangely over- cast now.”

Lincoln, who won the role of Mark, recalls that he, Ejiofor and Bill Nighy all performed in an English National Theatre play just before being cast in Love Actually.

“I think Richard had seen the production and said, ‘ Those three, get them in here,’ ’’ says Lincoln, who stars as Rick Grimes in AMC’s The

Walking Dead. “There’s been maybe three roles in my career that have made me dance and bounce off walls when I got them. And Love Actually is definitely one of them.”

Looking back at the film, which has become a holiday staple, Lincoln says that “there were brilliant roles for all of us. It’s the perfect story. And now I’m over here killing zombies.”

He says he still gets asked about his silent but respectfully romantic tribute to his best friend’s wife, which became an instant classic. “There was no acting required,” he says. “I just had to show up at the door. Perfect.”

Love opened doors for many of his then- emerging co- stars as well, including these:

PETER MOUNTAIN, UNIVERSAL STUDIOS Elisha Cuthbert, left, January Jones and Ivana Milicevic, right, with Kris Marshall, parlayed their roles into bigger TV and movie projects.