Love, Actually director: ‘The lack of diversity makes me feel uncomfortable & a bit stupid’

I love the 2003 film Love, Actually – I’m just going to say that up front. That’s not popular to admit these days but it’s true and I can’t pretend otherwise. I know there are problems with it, and I understand why people don’t like it, but I just felt we should start this post from a place of honesty. The film is 20 years old. While it came out in 2003, it was filmed in 2002, so I guess that’s how that math works. Diane Sawyer did one of her sit-down specials to acknowledge the milestone. It’s called The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later and aired last Tuesday. One of the more interesting things said during the special came from director Richard Curtis. He told Diane that he is embarrassed about the lack of diversity in the film. I mean, obviously I knew there was a lack of diversity, but I was surprised not only that Curtis acknowledged it, but is embarrassed by it.

When Love Actually writer and director Richard Curtis considers his 2003 hit today, he has some regrets.

“There are things you’d change but, thank God, society is changing, so my film is bound, in some moments, to feel out of date,” he told ABC’s Diane Sawyer in The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later special that aired Tuesday. (The movie was filmed in 2002.)

“The lack of diversity makes me feel uncomfortable and a bit stupid,” Curtis explained. “You know, I think there are sort of three plots that have sort of bosses and people who work for them.”

The large Love Actually cast is predominantly white. So much so that some Netflix subscribers called out the streamer in 2018, accusing it of targeting them according to race or ethnicity with that movie and others. Black customers, for instance, said they were shown a photo of Chiwetel Ejiofor, one of the few non-white actors in the romantic comedy, to advertise it. They found that to be misleading, because Ejiofor’s part is so small. At the time, Netflix said reports that it considered demographics when personalizing artwork were “untrue.”

[From Yahoo]

“There are things you’d change but, thank God, society is changing, so my film is bound, in some moments, to feel out of date.” Curtis is an inherently optimistic person so it makes sense that he would find a way to spin this in a way to highlight progress. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I think we should focus on the fact that society has evolved to a point that it shines a light on movies like Love, Actually and how blindingly white they are. Good for Curtis for admitting he was short-sighted when he made it and recognizes that out loud. And shame on Netflix for trying to put all the non-white actors out front while trying to promote it as if viewers wouldn’t notice how little representation there was.

The Diane Sawyer special is on Hulu if anyone else is still a fan. There are some sweet moments and funny behind-the-scenes parts. Many of the stars are interviewed. Curtis said he’d like to make another positive Love inspired film but based on the acts of kindness stories from the Covid pandemic. That would be amazing, I’d watch the hell out of that.

Here’s the trailer for the special:


Photo credit: Cat Morley and JPI Studios/Avalon

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57 Responses to “Love, Actually director: ‘The lack of diversity makes me feel uncomfortable & a bit stupid’”

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  1. Mcmmom says:

    The classism in that movie kills it for me. I like so many of the actors and actresses, but it’s too problematic for me to enjoy.

    But…the last time this movie was discussed on this site, wow, the gloves came off. People sure do love their annual “Love, Actually” viewing.

    • DK says:

      Yeah, while I hope Curtis was *also* referencing how blindingly white the cast was (and the incredibly tiny, side-kick-only roles for the few actors of color in it), it sounded like the lack of diversity to which he was explicitly referring was in the type of stories the movie tells: the sexism and the classism inherent in the problematic relationship dynamics showcased in the movie, and NOT the lack of racial & ethnic diversity in the cast.

  2. Driver8 says:

    I can’t stand this movie. My bff loves it and watches it every year. I’ll just add this to this to the very long list of things I don’t get. The director seems like a nice person.

    • Susan says:

      Thank you @Driver8, I stand with you. I remember seeing it in theaters, and everyone was like OMG YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE. I remember sitting there, being like, really? This is painful. And long. And over the top. And I was even a big Hugh Grant fan at the time and it left me cold.

    • Skyblue says:

      Thank you! I detest “Love,Actually”. There isn’t a single redeeming scene in the whole movie. Dreadful!

      • Agreatreckoningq says:

        Really @Skyblue. Not one? Granted, I am a fan of the movie. There are redeeming scenes. As much as I disliked Emma Thompson’s character scene with her husband (Alan Rickman) at the end, it was redeeming. The whole funeral scene with Liam Neeson’s character was redeeming. lol, one of my favorite bits of the movie due to the Bay City Rollers music-reminds me of being a little girl listening and dancing to/with my beautiful older sister’s music. S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y. NIGHT! That wasn’t the song played in the movie though. Just a reminder. Anyhoo, redemption. Throughout the movie, Natalie’s character was criticized-for weight/size whatever. Hugh Grant’s character challenged those opinions. Redemption came, when the PM’s(Hugh Grant), threw caution to the wind (and spoke of her importance to her family) and stood there smiling after the kiss.

    • SussexWatcher says:

      I’d be curious to know what the director has done since and whether his movies are more diverse since then. Otherwise he’s just saying what people want to hear. (Full disclosure, I don’t care that much about him/that movie so I’m too lazy to check myself lol.)

    • Lawcatb says:

      My husband and I hate-watch it every year. It’s fun to dunk on how sh_tty almost every character is and how preposterous the stories are.

    • Juniper says:

      THANK YOU! I have always loathed this movie with a thousand suns. I never understood the hype or why people loved it. It continually sends such a terrible message and it’s so obvious it’s a movie from what a man thinks a female perspective is and it completely misses the mark.
      I could go on for hours how rage inducing this movie makes me.

      • booboocita says:

        The women are super-problematic in this film. The director or the writer or whoever conceived of this story has a serious Madonna-whore complex. The women are either long-suffering, self-sacrificing, patient Griseldas (Emma Thompson, Laura Linney) or some man’s fantasy (just about all the other women).

        That being said — I do like the film. Sorry. I adore Bill Nighy and Liam Neeson, so that’s a large part of it.

      • Kate says:

        @booboocita, I agree, so problematic in basically every way and yet…I love it anyway. I feel that way about Gone with the Wind too, I know there are tons of issues with it but I can’t help but love it.

    • julie says:

      I hated this movie the first time I saw it. I found it pointless and a lot of the plots were just stupid. I watched it a couple more times over the next 10 years as background noise while wrapping presents and it grew on my slightly. Then about five years ago I went to a Drunk Feminists showing of it where we all drank a lot and screamed stuff out at certain points. Ever since then I give it a hate watch every year and I love it as that. (But then I can still authentically enjoy Emma Thompson’s beautiful work.)

  3. Sam the Pink says:

    Well, sure, the diversity is lacking. Although truthfully I never got to that criticism because the movie itself is so awful. Emma Thompson deserved so much better.

  4. manda says:

    I love the movie, but always knew it was bad. And I actually think it IS bad in some spots, like, I totally fast forward through the wedding and reception scene and Hugh Grant’s cringey off-beat dance and the titanic thing. The whole “because it’s christmas and you tell the truth at christmas” thing is weird, bc what? Is that, like, a British thing? But the movie reminds me of a time in my life that I’m nostalgic for, and I want to be in London at Christmas; it’s just special to me.

    I like the scene where Jamie proposes to Aurelia, and the school performance, and of course every minute of Emma Thompson. There’s a moment, right after the keira knightly and photog studio scene, where the guy from walking dead walks out on her and sort of has a little emotional outburst on the street, startling a shopper, and my husband and I laugh at that every time. I like when the chauffer driver sings good king wencelas. But I would never argue that it’s a great movie

    • Lionel says:

      Re: the “tell the truth” thing, thank you! I’ve never heard it anywhere else, if it’s a British thing it escaped me when I lived there. And if in the world of the movie everyone is supposed to tell the truth at Christmas, then maybe Keira Knightley’s character and her admirer ought to be telling some “truths” to her husband, hmm?

      (LOL, not ranting at you, Manda! I respect that you love the movie. It just makes me ragey.) 😂

      • manda says:

        oh yeah, SUPER inappropriate for him to show up at her house with those signs. What if her husband had answered the door? And then also, SUPER inappropriate for her to run out and kiss him, OMGGGGGG! (And since he never speaks to her, his “love” for her is strictly physical, which eww). Finally, really super gross that she was only 17 when it was filmed! I know it’s awful!! It’s just the parts that I like, I REAALLY like

      • booboocita says:

        A few years ago, Red Nose Day (it’s a charity that fights child poverty) did a sequel to “Love, Actually” called “Red Nose Day Actually.” Andrew Lincoln shows up at Keira Knightley’s doorstep with cue cards — again — and with Kate Moss. It’s cute. Check it out:

        https://vimeo.com/375563895

  5. ShazBot says:

    I used to adore this movie and that is such a prime example of privileged white girl in her late teens. I remember thinking it was more diverse than I was expecting for a movie out of Britain (which is extremely sad for both them and me).
    Once I hit adulthood and paid more attention…oh man, there are so many issues.
    I think my favourite characters are Judy and Jack — even though their characters are there for a gag, it showed positive sex-related work, consent, and general sweetness.

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      I love Love, Actually. Appreciated it when it came out because of the diversity. I thought the movie symbolized that love exists in all shapes, sizes, colors and situations. As a parent of a child then, I thought it was a gift to have a popular movie exhibit different aspects of love and love experiences. Seriously. The montage of the airport scenes of love gets me to this day.

      I will say, that movie tricked me into thinking Britain was more open minded than the US regarding interracial relationships. So not the case now

      Colin Frissell. landing in Milwaukee and banging 3 good looking women because of an accent, jumped the shark. Maybe as a Wisconsinite, that offended me. Now, if he could have beaten the girls in a game of sheepshead, euchre, dice…. USA/WI people might appreciate an accent, it doesn’t mean we accept the dumb from the mouths the accent is coming from.

  6. Taehyung’s Noona says:

    I loved this movie when it came out. Wasn’t Nicolas Hault’s character in love with a little black girl? I was so used to black people getting short shrift that that was enough for me. Now I watch NOTHING w/o a diverse cast. Actually, I have basically given up on Western tv/movies.

    • Little Red says:

      That was little boy was played by Thomas Brodie Sangster.

    • Holm says:

      What non-Western country do you think have the most diverse movies? When I watch Chinese (I’m Chinese) or Indian movies everyone is always Chinese or Indian. ”Western” films are usually more diverse, imo.

  7. Chi says:

    That aspect of Netflix’s advertising really bothers me. When you look at the same movies on my husband’s account and mine the photos can be quite different. I’m disturbed to learn this is also done with a race lens.

  8. Case says:

    I think this is really great of the director to acknowledge. As a viewer, I don’t expect movies from 20 years ago or 50 years ago or whatever to reflect today’s standards; I watch them for what they are (with the exception, obviously, of really sexiest, racist, or homophobic movies). But good on him for acknowledging for an ensemble cast, it wasn’t at diverse as it should’ve been, and that society is changing.

    For me, no, I hate this movie lol. They’re all awful people so I don’t find it especially funny or romantic. But I’m not much of a romcom person to begin with.

    • Yup, Me says:

      The only problem with that perspective is that Black people existed AND were making films (and performing in them!) 20 years ago. The late 90s/early 2000s had some AMAZING Black love stories/movies and shows. This movie was already outdated and behind the curve when it was made just for the lack of Black people, not to mention any other ethnic groups.

  9. ariel says:

    I love the movie- i see the problematic stuff and it is YIKES.
    But it is nice that the director is not a defensive, out of touch old white man- that he states plainly that he regrets and is embarrassed by the lack of people of color, and the power dynamics. I think THAT is part of progress in our society. Good for him.

    But yeah, i’ll watch that stupid movie at least once this year. It is silly fun.

  10. It Really Is You, Not me says:

    I was just graduating college when this movie came out and it struck a chord. I cried every time I watched Jamie propose to Aurelia. I still love it, warts, tone deafness, shtick, and all. But I am glad that the director is woke enough to acknowledge the problems with it 20 years later. I love the idea of a COVID-themed sequel and it also gives a chance to develop a diverse cast without a full remake.

  11. HeyKay says:

    Alan Rickman deserved better!
    Why cast AR as the unfaithful husband? He and Emma Thompson should have had a fun love story.
    Bill Nighy steals this movie, and FF thru the stuff I don’t like.
    When Liam Neeson proposes, the sister has a line something like “Say yes, idiot. You can go to England and marry Prince William” That line still makes me laugh.
    Course now we know William is no prize.

    • JanetDR says:

      💗Love Alan Rickman! Watching him is always so confusing for me when he’s playing a bad guy or a jerk, because I can’t help but adore him.

      • AuntRara says:

        He was just the best. I’m reading Madly, Deeply at the moment and it’s really wonderful. Gone far too soon.

      • SarahCS says:

        He played amazing baddies, he was SO good. His Sheriff of Nottingham was outstanding and while when it came out I was 100% in love with Christian Slater, AR was the highlight of the film.

      • JanetDR says:

        I think that was the first thing I saw him in. I could not understand why I was so attracted to the freaking Sheriff of Nottingham 🤣
        That voice 💗🔥💗🔥💗🔥

      • booboocita says:

        See if you can find an hour-long film, “The Song of Lunch,” starring Rickman and Emma Thompson as former lovers who meet for lunch. He plays an editor and unsuccessful poet, and she plays the wife of a successful novelist with a thriving career of her own. The entire hour is Rickman’s character trying to find his way back to the love and promise of a good life he once shared with Thompson’s character, and her trying to politely disengage and get away from him. Rickman’s character isn’t so much the bad guy as the pathetic guy. Fantastic performances from both of them.

  12. Matilda says:

    I love Richard Curtis movies mainly because I love London. However in just about all his movies the American women are portrayed as quite slutty and the English men become attached to them sexually. I am always slightly offended when I watch one of his movies with his portrayal of American women.

  13. Mcnugget says:

    Good for him but disappointed he didn’t also touch on things like Hugh grant’s love interest being called chubby when she was nowhere near that.

    • QuiteContrary says:

      Exactly! I hated the fat jokes so much.

      And while I loved Alan Rickman and still love Emma Thompson (her crying scene was fantastic), I remember someone pointing out how little women actually spoke in this movie.

  14. Debbie says:

    To frame this by saying that audiences shouldn’t expect a “20-year-old movie” to reflect society’s diversity is deceptive. 2002 and 2003 was not in the ante-bellum time period. Come on now. If people want to keep on liking the movie, it’s their choice but to pretend that this was eons ago when no knew better is false.

  15. Stef says:

    Still love this movie, actually!

    We can’t expect movies from 20 years ago to stand up to how much society has changed today. Nice to see the awareness of the lack of diversity and how this movie would be so much different today.

  16. Lionel says:

    Oh man, this movie! I saw it on a “date” with a friend that was maybe going to turn romantic, but didn’t because he couldn’t understand why I hated it so much! Probably a good thing in retrospect. I couldn’t really articulate why it made me feel so icky then (I could now) so I just railed on about how stupid it was that everyone “tells the truth” at Christmas when obviously Christmas is a time for family lies and secrets. He ran away pretty fast. 🤣

    But I echo a poster above: is the “tell the truth at Christmas” thing something British or just something the writers made up to explain lots of bad decisions? I’ve wondered that ever since.

    • Betsy says:

      Icky! That’s what this movie makes me feel and I’ve never put the word to it, but you nailed it Lionel. I saw it once when it was out on DVD but never again and I hope I never have to see it again because that movie suuuuuucked.

  17. Luna17 says:

    I tried to watch this once and couldn’t get very far. I just found it so boring and not my taste. I mean it was 20 years ago and I do think our awareness around diversity has greatly improved which is a good thing. There seems to be a trend of everyone reflecting on the popular movies and TV from that time like friends and sex and the city and then having to get everyone to apologize for the lack of diversity and the fact that a lot of stuff didn’t at age well. I do think it’s kind of silly to try to judge the TV shows and movies by todays standards because we really have made a lot of progress and What’s the point of this weird apology interviews? Everyone seems to be reading from the exact same script so never comes across as actually authentic. I’d rather hear from people making good films today then the same apology over and over that we know they are saying just because they don’t want to get cancelled and their publicist told them to.

  18. AmB says:

    Lindy West captured the social points a decade ago, although she didn’t really say anything about the diversity issues. https://jezebel.com/i-rewatched-love-actually-and-am-here-to-ruin-it-for-al-1485136388

    • JanetDR says:

      This is great! Thoughtful and very funny too. Definitely click this link!

    • QuiteContrary says:

      That was a classic Lindy West piece. It was she who noted that the women in this movie don’t actually talk.

    • SAS says:

      I think it was the inspiration for her book “Shit, actually” of bad movie review essays!

  19. Wednesday Addams says:

    The fat shaming in this movie always makes me cringe.

  20. Gelya says:

    Hecate I love the movie too. Andrew Lincoln as Mark. That scene with the sign gets me every single time. It was so romantic. My husband hated Andrew on Walking Dead. I would say but “He is forever Mark!” 🙂
    I loved the picture of Alan Rickman you chose. He was supposed to be immortal.
    It’s nice to see a director acknowledge issues instead of denying them.

  21. L4Frimaire says:

    I hate this movie so much. Hated it when it first came out, thought it was lame and cheesy then and think it’s worse now. Hated all their plot lines with cheating spouses or weird power dynamics, just ugh. It wasn’t romantic at all.Who thought it was cute to have the grooms so-called best friend hit on his new bride. Found that incredibly offensive and a downer. Even the kids in the film were so annoying. Lack of diversity isn’t the issue because most of the people in that film would live in a fairly homogeneous world. The lousy cynical script full of terrible people was the problem. Hate that movie.

  22. SheWolf says:

    I can understand the objections to the problematic parts of this movie. The power differential between David and Natalie, the whole thing around Mark stalking Juliet, etc. What I have never understood is the complaint that it fails at being a rom com, because however it was marketed, it was never a typical rom com. The characters are flawed, selfish, and only about half the storylines in it are even about romantic love. Laura Linney’s storyline is heartbreaking. And Alan Rickman/Emma Thompson’s storyline does an incredible job of showing the devastation that happens when a man takes his wife for granted and follows his dick to “greener pastures”. It’s not pretty. I think the title tells you what it is meant to be, an exploration of different types of love and how they can look in real life, even when it’s sad or ugly. I don’t disagree with the valid critiscm of the film, I’m just confused by the criticism of it being a terrible rom com, because I think it is and always was a dram com.

  23. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    I’ve never watched it. Ew. Lol.

  24. Mrs,Krabapple says:

    It was also misogynistic as hell. I’ve always hated that movie.

  25. Zoochy says:

    Confession: I have never seen this movie.

  26. Abbie says:

    As a fan of romantic comedies and Hugh Grant, I never understood this movie’s success. Never. Not when it came out, not now.
    There are SO MANY BETTER romantic comedies and holiday movies out there, like why the frack is this so popular is beyond me.
    My guess is that most people just don’t know better, this is one of the few “holiday feel good” movies that they have seen so they think it’s wonderful.

    • Bella says:

      Just enjoy the movie for what it it, a sweet viewing during Christmas.

    • jbones says:

      I’m usually cynical and quite critical when it comes to movies, but I enjoy Love Actually. It’s silly, it’s flawed, and not a typical rom com. There are the raw and real moments that break up the fluff, and I love it.