Director Richard Curtis reflects on the most iconic scene from 2003’s Love Actually, admitting that his feelings have changed about the moment.

Summary

• Director Richard Curtis reflects on the Love Actually scene in which Mark (Andrew Lincoln) turns up at Juliet's (Keira Knightley) house and confesses his love for her using cue cards.
• The director admits that the scene is "a bit weird" now, though nobody involved in the production thought it was odd or creepy at the time.
• While still a holiday classic for many, Love Actually features many elements that haven't aged well, including its lack of cast diversity, the age gap between Knightley and Lincoln, and the Natalie body-shaming jokes.

Love Actually director Richard Curtis reappraises the film's most iconic scene. Released in 2003, the holiday classic follows a handful of couples in London as they deal with troubles in their love lives during the frantic Christmas season. Love Actually features a number of memorable moments, but perhaps the most iconic scene from the film involves Mark (Andrew Lincoln) turning up at Juliet's (Keira Knightley) house and professing his love for her with a series of cue cards.

In a recent interview with The Independent as Love Actually's celebrates its 20th anniversary, Curtis reflects on Lincoln's cue cards scene, revealing that his thoughts on it have changed. The scene has widely been criticized for being somewhat creepy in the years since the film was released, and the director now admits that he sees where the criticism is coming from. Check out Curtis' full comment below:

“He actually turns up, to his best friend’s house, to say to his best friend’s wife, on the off chance that she answers the door, ‘I love you.’ I think it’s a bit weird. I mean, I remember being taken by surprise about seven years ago, I was going to be interviewed by somebody and they said, ‘Of course, we’re mainly interested in the stalker scene,’ and I said, ‘What scene is that?’ And then I was, like, educated in it.

“All I can say is that a lot of intelligent people were involved in the film at the time, and we didn’t think it was a stalker scene. But if it’s interesting or funny for different reasons [now] then, you know, God bless our progressive world.”

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Not All Of Love Actually Has Aged Well

Although, for many, Curtis' movie remains a popular holiday season re-watch, there's no denying that some aspects of Love Actually have not aged well. The cue cards scene, for example, has the added problem of featuring an 18-year-old Knightley. Her on-screen husband is played by the then-26-year-old Chiwetel Ejiofor, while Lincoln was 30.

The Love Actually cast, as well, features a number of charismatic and talented stars, including the likes of Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy, and Emma Thompson. Ejiofor not withstanding, however, there's a clear lack of diversity there, which means the film doesn't accurately reflect the holiday season for a diverse city like London. Curtis would also recently address this in an interview with ABC last year, admitting that"The lack of diversity makes me feel uncomfortable and a bit stupid."

There's also, of course, the fact that Love Actually features repeated fat-shaming jokes involving Martine McCutcheon's Natalie, with other characters constantly making snide remarks about her weight. Curtis would recently express regret about the inclusion of these jokes as well. Clearly, then, while still a beloved holiday classic, Love Actually is very much a product of its time.

Source: The Independent

• Love Actually

  Summary:

  The 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually follows various couples as they explore their relationships throughout the Christmas season. With a star-studded cast composed of Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Rowan Atkinson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Freeman, and Martine McCutcheon, Love Actually has since become a Christmas staple for rom-com lovers.

  Release Date:

  2003-11-14

  Budget:

  45million

  Cast:

  Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Laura Linney, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln

  Director:

  Richard Curtis

  Genres:

  Comedy, Drama, Holiday, Romance

  Runtime:

  135 minutes

  Writers:

  Richard Curtis

  Studio(s):

  Universal Pictures

  Distributor(s):

  Universal Pictures