It’s not Christmas, but sometimes you just want to rewatch a holiday classic, like “Love Actually,” in the beginning of March. What? You’re an adult. You pay your taxes. Live a little!
And when you’re done watching it for the 20th time, you might be interested in seeing how your favorite characters have changed over the years. Don’t worry, we got you covered.
1. Hugh Grant
By the time the movie was released in 2003, Grant had already had many significant roles in his career. He played in such iconic films as Nine Months, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones’s Diary. Starring in Love Actually only made him more famous and secured a successful future for the actor.
2. Martine McCutcheon
After playing Hugh Grant’s love interest, McCutcheon decided that one Christmas project was not enough for her, so she starred in the UK musical tour of “Elf: The Christmas Spectacular,” based on the Will Ferrell film. Fun fact: the actress recreated her favorite scene from “Love Actually,” the one where she jumps into Grant’s arms, in 2017 while welcoming travelers at London’s Heathrow Airport.
3. Keira Knightley
The actress was only 17 when she starred in the iconic holiday love story. The same year, she debuted as Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Since that time, Keira has appeared in at least 40 projects, ranging from small cameos to huge blockbusters.
4. Chiwetel Ejiofor
Since his brief role as the unsuspecting husband in Love Actually, Ejiofor has appeared in several other big films, including Children of Men, the Martian, and Doctor Strange. After Chiwetel’s staggering performance in 12 Years a Slave, the actor received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
5. Andrew Lincoln
Imagine going from one of the most romantic movies ever made to a zombie survival horror. At least Lincoln’s performance in both projects was top-tier, but the Walking Dead made him a lot more money.
6. Colin Firth
In 2017, it was revealed that Firth almost switched roles with Hugh Grant before filming Love Actually, but in the end, everyone got used to their characters, and the actors decided to stay where they were. For the last 10 years, Colin’s IMDb page has been booming with new projects like Kingsman, Marry Poppins Returns, and the underrated Staircase miniseries.
7. Liam Neeson
Liam has changed a lot since starring Love Actually, especially after the tragic death of his wife, Natasha Richardson, in 2009. After losing his beloved, Neeson threw himself into his work and has since starred in dozens of films, including Kingdom of Heaven, Taken, the Narnia series, and Dark Knight Rises.
8. Alan Rickman
In 2016, at the age of 69, Rickman died of cancer. By then, the British actor had a solid career, from rom-com roles to his iconic performances in Die Hard and the Harry Potter franchise.
9. Emma Thompson
After Love Actually, Thompson received the title Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Since 2003, the actress has played many characters, including Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast and Professor Cybill Trelawney in Harry Potter. Thompson also co-wrote the screenplay for the 2019’s Last Christmas.
10. Martin Freeman
Since 2003, Freeman has starred in the British version of The Office and then in other popular series and movies, including the Hobbit trilogy, Black Panther, and the BBC show Sherlock.
