Watching Love Actually again this time of year is a tradition for many people.
But the popular holiday rom com will not be rewatched by Emma Thompson, who starred in the 2003 film.
Her reasoning has nothing to do with jokes that haven't aged well or the glaring lack of diversity in its casting as regretably pointed out recently by the movie's director Richard Curtis.
When Thompson–who can be seen in the upcoming film adaptation of the musical, Matilda, appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon–the show's host immediately gushed about her heartbreaking performance in a scene from Love Actually and asked if the actress ever rewatches the movie.
Without hesitation, Thompson answered:
“No! It was 20 years ago."
Emma Thompson on Her Adele Concert Dance Moves and Holiday Rewatches of Love Actually | Tonight Show youtu.be
The scene Fallon mentioned referred to the poignant moment when Thompson's character Karen goes through an emotional breakdown in private after receiving a Joni Mitchell CD as a present from her husband Harry–played by the late Alan Rickman–instead of the gold necklace she found earlier in his coat that is clearly meant for someone else.
\u201cThat scene in Love Actually where Emma Thompson opens the Joni Mitchell CD is one of the greatest scenes in movie history. I won\u2019t be taking questions.\u201d— Catherine Balavage Yardley (@Catherine Balavage Yardley) 1669405058
\u201cme every time emma thompson\u2019s character unboxes that joni mitchell cd in love actually \u201d— v\u00e9ro \u273f // (@v\u00e9ro \u273f //) 1670284702
\u201cWatching Emma Thompson get cheated on in Love actually every year never gets any easier\u201d— Hanban (@Hanban) 1670597327
\u201cWatching Emma Thompson on @jimmyfallon She is way cooler than I'll ever be. Love her! #peoplethatmakeyousmileontheinside\u201d— Kelly Clarkson (@Kelly Clarkson) 1412395349
Fallon acknowledged her response to not wanting to watch the film again but prodded her further by saying:
“But isn’t it kind of fun to put it on and go, ‘Oh, I remember where we were when we were doing that?’”
Thompson replied:
“Not really. You just think… I don’t think I was very well paid for that, and that was that terrible trailer with the loo that really stank… these are the things that you remember.”
\u201c"Love Actually" is a beloved holiday classic to many, but Emma Thompson has mixed feelings about the film, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.\n\n"I don't think I was very well paid for that," Thompson said his week.\n\nhttps://t.co/rlXNVqZ0yq\u201d— JP Mangalindan (@JP Mangalindan) 1670638915
\u201cThey should give Emma Thompson some sort of award for the fact that she has answered the same Love Actually question 20 billion times and always still answers it so kindly w a smile on her face bc i cant even imagine how annoying that is\u201d— \ud83d\udc9cChelsea\ud83d\udc9c (@\ud83d\udc9cChelsea\ud83d\udc9c) 1670466324
Meanwhile, fans keep revisiting that devastating scene.
\u201cEmma Thompson. That bedroom scene. I mean\u2026\n#loveactually #ChristmasMovies\u201d— Jenny Forde \ud83d\udd38 (@Jenny Forde \ud83d\udd38) 1670658514
\u201cI know there are many many things wrong with Love Actually (don\u2019t hate me but I still love it!) but that bit of acting by Emma Thompson if truly brilliant and gets me every time. #perfect #motherhood #bastardhusband #CaptureTheMoment\u201d— Beth Beasant (@Beth Beasant) 1670626678
When Fallon remarked she must receive a lot of Joni Mitchell CDs from fans over the years, she quipped:
“I have a separate house for those."
Love Actually is celebrating its 20th anniversary and a retrospective look at the film was featured on an ABC special with Diane Sawyer, The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later.
Curtis appeared on the special and admitted the Christmas staple was outdated when it came to representation.
The director told Sawyer:
"The lack of diversity makes me feel uncomfortable and a bit stupid."
Ash Stanton/Facebook
Laura Sprinkle/Facebook
Akira Karasu/Facebook
Cevanna Gilbert/Facebook
Troy Adam/Facebook
@GovPressOffice/X
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social