Love Actually star Martine McCutcheon teases cast are filming something ‘big’

Love Actually has become a Christmas staple over the years, especially paired with a festive glass of eggnog and a dose of Christmas cheer.

And with practically every Millennial on Earth knowing the script word for word, it’s become a Christmas icon in its own right.

The yuletide film, whose all-star cast includes Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy and Martine McCutcheon, first hit screens in 2003.

Now, 20 years on, McCutcheon — who plays Natalie — has teased some big news for fans of the noughties rom-com.

The actor took to Instagram on Tuesday to announce she has secretly been filming something big after creator Richard Curtis told her there was something in the works, reports news.com.au.

“I have just been filming something for the delightful Richard Curtis,” said McCutcheon. “He is doing something which is going to be celebrating Love Actually big time.”

“He asked me to be involved and I was very honoured and flattered, and I of course said I would. I wish I could have done more than I have Richard, but I think it’s going to be a really lovely, feel-good thing to go and enjoy.”

The EastEnders actor then expressed in the caption how grateful she was for being able to have been a part of such a genre-defining movie.

“For me, being a part of such a huge project that explored so many different kinds of love was the ultimate dream,” she shared. “For me it’s what life is truly all about. So career-wise there is nothing that would or could match it. The message of Love Actually has reached so many and continues to touch new generations.”

The Christmas flick, which intertwines the love stories of eight couples in the frantic month before Christmas in London, also has performances from Laura Linney, Martin Freeman, Andrew Lincoln, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Rodrigo Santoro, Rowan Atkinson, Billy Bob Thornton and the late Alan Rickman.

Meanwhile, at the beginning of 2023, Love Actually director Curtis apologised for calling characters such as McCutcheon’s Natalie chubby during an interview with his daughter, Scarlett.

The British screenwriter also recognised that jokes about women’s weight “aren’t any longer funny”, and also criticised the lack of non-white representation in his movies in the past.

Written by the NZ Herald and republished here with permission