CNN
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Every year, as the days grow colder and Christmas approaches, “Love Actually” quickly becomes a festive favorite on people’s television screens.
But nearly 20 years after the 2003 romantic comedy’s release, the film faced scrutiny for its story lines and lack of variety.
“There were some things you would change but thank God society is changing. So my film, in certain moments, is bound to feel, you know, outdated,” said the film’s writer and director Richard Curtis. said earlier this week.
He was speaking with Diane Sawyer as part of a documentary on ABC News: “The Jokes and Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later.”
“Love Actually” follows several romantic relationships, connecting story lines. However, most of the main cast is white and all of the relationships depicted are heterosexual.
Asked about any moment that might make him “Vince,” Curtis said: “The lack of variety makes me feel uncomfortable and a little silly.” He added: “I think there are three plots with bosses and people who work for them.”
The film stars many big names in the entertainment industry with Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Martin Freeman, Laura Linney, Martin McCutcheon, Rowan Atkinson. and Thomas Brodie-Sangster all appear at some point.
Nearly 20 years later, “Love Actually” is popular, becoming a staple of the holiday season.
“The way it enters language is amazing,” Nighy said in the ABC News documentary.
“I’ve had people come up to me saying ‘I got it through my chemotherapy’, or ‘I got it through my divorce’, or ‘I watch it whenever I’m alone.’ And people do, and people have ‘Love Actually’ parties.
Asked if she understood why “Love Actually” remained popular, Thompson replied: “I do.”
“Because I think we forget, so often we forget, that love is all that matters.”
Curtis has written several other popular romantic comedies, including “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Notting Hill” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary”.
“Four Weddings and a Funeral” was released in 1994 and notably featured a homosexual relationship between Matthew, played by John Hannah, and Gareth, played by Simon Callow.
to write In guardianship 14 years later, Calo said: “It almost defies belief, but in the months since the film was released, I’ve received several letters from apparently intelligent, articulate members of the public, saying That until seeing the movie, they had never realized, that gay people have feelings like normal people.
