Emma Thompson Reveals What Hugh Grant Really Thought About Love Actually

Starring Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson, the film has long since established itself as one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time. And since it turns 20 next year, ABC has reunited the cast for a TV special, The Laughs and Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Special.

Hugh Grant, who played the newly elected British Prime Minister David, who falls in love with one of his aides, talked about what it was like to star in the film by Richard Curtis – the author of other hit British romantic comedies like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones's Diary.

The role of Prime Minister David was written specifically for Hugh Grant, who said he was happy to inhabit the character. However, he did not feel like doing the victory dance that the PM was supposed to do.

"I think I saw it in the script and thought 'I'll hate doing that'. No Englishman can dance when they're sober at 8am in the morning," Grant told ABC's Diane Sawyer adding that "it's the most excruciating scene ever committed to celluloid", which people love so much. He is also proud of having his secretary catch him while he was dancing.

Curtis himself joked that Grant was probably hoping he [Curtis] would get sick and the whole dance sequence would just disappear.

Emma Thompson recalled that Grant told her at the movie's premiere that it was the "most psychotic thing" they'd ever been in – something Grant said he didn't remember. He added that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing to call the movie psychotic.

Grant also praised Curtis, for whom he has starred in several other films, for being a very honest person. "It's Richard on steroids, but the thing is with him, what you have to remember is when he writes about love, he means it. And that is quite rare," said the David actor.

Love is actually what makes the movie appealing to a wide audience. Some fans compare it to a puppy that has a big heart and never loses its energy or enthusiasm. Others say that everyone understands it because the movie shows every type of relationship you can think of – from strangers to people working together, children falling in love, people having feelings for friends, and even cheating. One redditor recalled how Love Actually helped his roommate deal with the very first breakup of his life – he watched it every day for 3 months and was miraculously "cured!"

And, of course, it is all about being human. In the movie, people don't always display the best behavior. Relationships get ruined and people are often selfish, but this is real life, offering a place for sweet romance and a chance to become a better version of yourself.