Entertainment
It's 'Love, Actually's Tenth Anniversary So We Have To Ask: Where Is the Cast Now?
It's officially November, which means it's getting close to the beginning of winter and Christmas season, or as I like to call it, Time to Watch Love, Actually. Luckily, this holiday season, I don't need an excuse to re-watch the movie for the 1000th time. On November 14, Love, Actually celebrates its tenth anniversary (!), and so I highly doubt I'll be the only one revisiting the comedy over the next few months.
I don't when it began, but sometime long ago, it became tradition for me to watch the Richard Curtis ensemble rom-com as many times as possible during the last few months of each year. There's just something irresistible about Love, Actually that makes me unable to spend a snowy winter weekend without popping in the DVD and reveling in Hugh Grant's dance moves. Over the years, I've managed to rope my friends and family into joining me, and one by one, they've come to realize the perfection that is Love, Actually. Still, I watch it so often that I find myself needing excuses; "it was on TV," I say, hiding the DVD container, or "I just wanted to watch this one scene," when the movie's paused at 80 minutes in. It's kind of embarrassing, but you know what? Totally worth it.
In honor of the occasion, let's take a look back at the people who helped make Love, Actually so special — its stars, whose charming, charismatic performances became the heart of the movie. Many of these actors were already well-known when the film was released, but many more had just begun building the careers that are now some of the best in the industry. Which star won Love, Actually? Let's find out.
Image: Universal
19. Martine McCutcheon (Natalie)
For awhile after the movie, it seemed that McCutcheon would be The Next Big Thing, but unfortunately, her career stalled and projects stopped materializing. Hopefully, the TV movie she just finished filming will do well with audiences, because earlier this year, the actress was declared bankrupt by a British court.
18. Joanna Page (Judy)
From 2007 to 2010, Page starred in Gavin & Stacey, a critically acclaimed British sitcom. She's appeared in several other series since, including Doctor Who, which featured her in an episode this past year.
17. Lucia Moniz (Aurelia)
Moniz, a Portuguese singer/actress, has appeared in many movies and TV shows in her native language and has also released two albums. She has two projects in the works.
16. Kris Marshall (Colin)
Marshall is most well-known for playing Nick Harper on My Family, a popular BBC sitcom that ran from 2000 to 2005. After several short-lived arcs on other shows, he's now starring on Death in Paradise, a crime drama set to premiere its third season in January.
15. Rodrigo Santoro (Karl)
Santoro may never be a household name, but he's found substantial success since Love, Actually, most notably in the recurring role of Paolo on Lost. He's also acted in 300, I Love You Philip Morris, and Rio, the sequel of which he's currently filming.
14. Gregor Fisher (Joe)
Fisher hasn't acted in many films since Love, Actually, but he has a lucrative gig as the lead character of Rab C. Nesbitt, a beloved Scottish TV sitcom.
Image: Universal
13. Olivia Olson (Joanna)
Want to hear something adorable? Olson, who broke out at age 11 with a rendition of "All I Want for Christmas With You" that melted the heart of Sam (Thomas Sangster), now is a main voice artist on Phineas and Ferb alongside Sangster, her once-love interest. Sam and Joanna, together at last! Olson also voices several characters on Adventure Time.
12. Hugh Grant (David)
From the mid-'90s to the early '00s, Hugh Grant was the go-to leading man for romantic comedies, starring in everything from Four Weddings and a Funeral to, well, Love, Actually. Over the last decade, he's only acted sporadically, with his most recent project being 2012's Cloud Atlas. Thankfully, he has two movies in the works, so those missing his trademark British charm shouldn't be at a loss for much longer.
11. Thomas Sangster (Sam)
For several years following Love, Actually, Sangster made a career of taking on small roles in films and TV shows, from Nowhere Boy to Tristan + Isolde, that left big impressions on critics. His breakthrough came in 2007, when he began voicing Ferb on Nickelodeon's longtime hit Phineas and Ferb. He also had a recurring role in the most recent season of Game of Thrones, and will appear in the highly anticipated adaptation of The Maze Runner in 2014.
10. Andrew Lincoln (Mark)
Lincoln appeared in several movies and TV shows in the years following the movie's release, but his big break didn't come until 2010, when he began starring on AMC's The Walking Dead. The show is an enormous hit, and it's earned Lincoln a Critics' Choice Award Nomination for Best Actor.
9. Alan Rickman (Harry)
Rickman was a movie star long before Love, Actually, of course, but his role in the widely-seen film, along with an iconic role as Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films, propelled him to even greater mainstream success. Post-Love, he went on to continue starring in Potter and take on small roles in films like Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland. This year, he appeared in Lee Daniels' The Butler as President Reagan, A Promise, a World War I drama, and the just-released CBGB. His directorial debut, A Little Chaos, starring Rickman, Kate Winslet, Stanley Tucci and more, will be released next year. Harry's life may have been complicated in Love, Actually, but in reality, the actor behind him couldn't be in a better place.
8. Bill Nighy (Billy Mack)
Nighy has experienced a career renaissance since Love, Actually, having starred in over two dozen movies and cultivating a very cast-able image of "grumpy but lovable old man." This year alone, he appeared in four movies, most recently About Time, the newest film from Love director Richard Curtis.
7. Liam Neeson (Daniel)
Neeson has been the busiest of all his cast-mates since the movie's release, appearing in over two dozen movies. Most notable for the Taken series, Neeson has also starred in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Wrath of the Titans, and Taken look-a-likes The Grey and Unknown. He has a ridiculous nine movies in the works, including the third Taken film and a role in the upcoming Anchorman sequel. Does the man ever sleep?
6. Keira Knightley (Juliet)
When Love, Actually, came out in theaters back in 2003, Keira Knightley's career was just getting started, with the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie having only been released a year earlier. Now, she's one of the most in-demand actresses working today, and has made a respected, Oscar-nominated career out of being the go-to star of actually good period films. Her latest movie, Can a Song Save Your Life?, premiered at Toronto back in September, and she has four others in the works.
5. Emma Thompson (Karen)
A year after Love, Actually, the already-well known Thompson went on to star as Professor Trelawney in the third Harry Potter movie, a role that she would reprise in 2007 and 2011. She's built up an incredible resume over the last decade, appearing in Stranger Than Fiction, Nanny McPhee, An Education and Men in Black 3, among others. In December, she'll star as Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks, a Disney biopic that's sure to be an Oscar favorite. She has three movies in the works, including Effie Grey, a highly anticipated Dakota Fanning drama. Thompson's career has never been better.
4. Laura Linney (Sarah)
From 2010 to 2013, Linney starred on Showtime's The Big C, a critically acclaimed series earned the actress two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe. She also appeared in The Squid and the Whale, Hyde Park on the Hudson, and this year's The Fifth Estate, among others.
3. Martin Freeman (John)
Freeman has had a hugely successful career since Love, Actually, starring in The Office, Sherlock, and as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit franchise. The seocnd movie in the series, The Desolation of Smaug, will be released in December.
2. Colin Firth (Jamie)
After Love, Actually, Firth went on to star alongside his former co-stars Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant in Nanny McPhee and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, respectively. He also appeared in box office success Mamma Mia!, received raves for 2009's A Single Man, and won an Oscar two years later for The King's Speech. With two movies released this year and five more in the works, Firth has become one of Hollywood's most loved leading men.
1. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Peter)
Until this fall, Ejiofor wouldn't be anywhere near the top of this list, let alone claiming the very first spot. While his career post-Love was successful, with roles in movies like Children of Men and American Gangster, it wasn't until his starring turn in this year's most talked-about film, 12 Years a Slave, that Ejiofor joined the Hollywood A-list. Now, he's a surefire Oscar nominee who has every director in the industry begging for him to give them a call. Without question, Ejiofor has won Love, Actually.
