Laura Linney's 'Love Actually' Comments Will Make You Feel Better About Sarah's Story

Brace yourselves, because it turns out that one of the saddest stories in Love Actually has an uplifting backstory. During her recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Laura Linney shared how her Love Actually story made her feel a whole lot better while she was trying to get over a breakup. Sure, her character Sarah doesn't get the happy ending she deserves, but according to the actor, she and her co-star Rodrigo Santoro got exactly what they needed from the movie thanks to their characters epic make-out session.

Just in case you need a refresher, Sarah is the sweet office worker who takes care of her institutionalized brother. Between work and her role as a caretaker, she doesn't have much time for a personal life. That doesn't stop her from having a crush on her co-worker Karl, though. After numerous missed opportunities, a romantic dance at their office party leads Karl and Sarah to head back to her place where they proceed to have a seriously sexy make-out session. Unfortunately, Sarah's family obligations halt their romance before it starts, leaving the character as one of just a few people who doesn't get a happy ending in the film.

Sarah and Karl's story is definitely weepie material, but Linney's behind-the-scenes anecdote will make you view their most famous scene in an entirely different way. Oddly enough, it seems that Linney and Santoro were both nursing broken hearts when the time came to film Sarah and Karl's date night scene. And as the Ozark actor told Norton, they had a blast making each other feel better.

"We were both very broken-hearted when we made that movie. He had just been dumped, I had just been dumped," Linney told Norton. "I remember the day we had to film, we were both slumping to the scene. He was like, 'Laura, my heart is broken,' I was like, 'So is mine.' I turned to him and said, 'Well, all day long we get to make each other feel better.'"

And it sounds like that's exactly what they did. Linney proudly proclaimed that she "got the best kiss in that movie, hands down." Even better, she said she believes there's a "sweetness" to the scene because of where she and Santoro were emotionally in their personal lives. Their characters may have missed out on a chance for true love, but the actors got to forget their problems for a whole day and get lost in an incredibly romantic scene. That's not so bad, now is it?

Even better, things seem to have turned out beautifully for Linney and Santoro in real-life. In 2009, the Ozark star married real estate agent Marc Schauer, and in 2014, they welcomed their son, Bennett Armistead. Meanwhile, Santoro and his longtime girlfriend Mel Fronckowiak became parents in 2017 when their daughter arrived.

None of that changes the inherent sadness of Sarah and Karl's chance at love being thwarted before it began, but it might just help stop the tears from flowing the next time you queue up Love Actually.