Hugh Grant’s first reaction to love was actually anything but celebratory

Two decades after Love Actually first hit our screens and became one of the most popular – and successful – Christmas films of all time, some of its stars are taking a little walk down memory lane.

In a 20th anniversary special released in 2022, cast members including Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant came together to take a trip down memory lane.

Luckily, most of them have long memories – including Emma, ​​who remembers the first time she and Hugh saw the finished version of the festive film.

However, according to Emma, ​​Hugh’s response wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy.

“Hugh came up behind me as we walked out and said, ‘Is this the most psychotic thing we’ve ever experienced?'” Emma recalled in the special.

Hugh then sheepishly replied: “Did I say that?”

Actually love may be ingrained in the public consciousness, but a year earlier Hugh admitted he’s a little less familiar with the details of the 2003 film – and revealed he doesn’t really remember what happened to his character.

Asked about the possibility of a Love Tactical sequel in an interview with Digital Spy In 2021, Hugh replied: “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about that before… I don’t even remember what happens in the movie.”

He explained with a laugh, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen it. You’d have to remind me. How do I end up?”

The Bafta actress played British Prime Minister David, who falls in love with Downing Street employee Natalie, played by the former EastEnders star Martine McCutcheon.

In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Hugh as the Prime Minister is seen prancing across Number 10 to the Pointer Sisters’ Jump (For My Love), which the actor later described as “absolute hell”.

He said: “There was this dance being written and I thought, ‘This is going to be unbearable’ and it has the power to be the most unbearable scene ever put on celluloid.”

“I was definitely nervous about filming it, and Richard (Curtis) kept saying, ‘Don’t you think we’d better rehearse the dance scene?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I just need to learn a few lines.’ …my ankle hurts.’ Today’. So it was never rehearsed.”

“It was absolute hell,” he added.