Love Actually fans stunned by the tiny real life age gap between Juliet and Sam 

Since its release 14 years ago Love Actually has become a bona fide Christmas classic. 

Watching Hugh Grant dance awkwardly to The Pointer Sisters is, for many, a sign the festive period has well and truly arrived. 

But fans of the film have taken to Twitter in shock after realising just how close in age Keira Knightley, who played Juliet, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who played Sam, were when it was filmed.

Shock: Love Actually fans have taken to Twitter after realising the real life age gap Keira Knightley, who played Juliet, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who played Sam, are in the film

Juliet is a blushing bride embroiled in a complicated love triangle while Sam is the cherubic boy in love with his classmate Joanna in the film which follows the intertwined stories of various characters in the build up to December 25.

With the characters at such different stages in their lives, fans were stunned to find out there is in fact just FIVE years between them. 

Keira was just 17 when filming took place, while Thomas was 13. 

Age difference: Juliet is a blushing bride embroiled in a complicated love trial while Sam is the cherubic boy in love with his classmate Joanna

Crazy! With the characters at such different stages in their lives, fans were stunned to find out that there is in fact just FIVE years in age between them

Young bride: The actress was 12 years younger than her love interest Mark (Andrew Lincoln) and 10 years younger than her on-screen husband Peter (Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor)

Surprised: Dozens of fans took to Twitter to comment on the tiny age gap

This means the actress was 12 years younger than her love interest Mark (Andrew Lincoln) and 10 years younger than her on-screen husband Peter (Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor). 

Dozens took to Twitter after discovering the tiny age gap, one wrote: ‘Keira Knightley in Love Actually is only five years older than the little boy Sam that plays in the school band for the American girl if that doesn’t come as a shock nothing will.’ 

Keira was just 17 when filming took place, while Thomas was 13

Astounded: One wrote: ‘Keira Knightley in Love Actually is only five years older than Sam that plays in the school band for the American girl if that doesn’t come as a shock nothing will’

‘That moment you finally realise Keira Knightley was 17 when filming Love Actually and only 5 years older than the little kid,’ another typed. 

 Netflix poked fun at the age difference between Keira and her love interest Mark in a bio. They wrote: ‘ People in London know each other for numerous reasons. One of them is Tiff from EastEnders. Andrew Lincoln stars as a stalker with a felt tip.’

14 years on Keira is 33, while Thomas is now 27 and plays Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones. 

It comes as script editor Emma Freud recently divulged she wouldn’t cast Keira Knightley if the film was produced today.

Leading lady: 14 years on, Keira is 33 and has carved a successful career in the British film industry 

She told news.com.au: ‘I know Richard [Curtis] would cast either Saoirse Ronan or Lily James as the young bride.

‘Lots of them would be the same, Hugh was a surprisingly young Prime Minister, but would be searingly realistic now.

‘And there will never be a better Karen than Emma (Thompson), even when she’s 90.’

 Gone from strength-to-strength: Thomas is now 27 and plays Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones