It has been nearly 20 years since Love Actually was released, and it has grown from being a quirky ensemble film to a much beloved holiday tradition for many. Its intertwining storylines showcasing love of all varieties invoke nostalgia and tug at our heartstrings. But do you know its eight deleted scenes? From Sam being a gymnastics star to the cut lesbian lovers, Ada McVean looks at what could have been part of this Christmas classic.
It’s Porn
In this cut scene, Mia (Heike Makatsch) visits her friend Mark’s (Andrew Lincoln) gallery as he opens the new art for his Christmas exhibit, only to find that it is “porn.” Mia confides in her friend that she is considering having an affair with her married boss. He advises her to respect sacred marriage vows.
This scene foreshadows Mark’s struggles being in love with a married Juliet (Keira Knightley) and the deliberateness with which Mia pursues Harry (Alan Rickman). It establishes a link between Mia and Mark, making later scenes clearer. With this scene, we establish that Mark owns a gallery or is friends with Mia. When Harry says he’ll dance with Mia “as long as [her] boyfriend doesn’t mind,” and the camera pans to Mark, it now makes more sense!
An Essay on Farts
Bernard, Harry and Karen’s son, is unhappy at being cast as an Angel in the nativity play since they’re “made up rubbish.” His mum pushes back, suggesting that angels might be real, but in disguise—“these days they probably don’t have wings.”
This interaction was cut along with a storyline that would have seen Rufus (Rowan Atkinson) as an angel! Knowing this, some of Rufus’ actions make a touch more sense—he takes forever wrapping, hoping Harry will walk away without the necklace, and blatantly distracts the airport agent to allow Sam (Thomas Sangster) through.
Next, we see Harry and Karen (Emma Thompson) discussing their son when Karen asks, “when did my bottom stop being my bottom and turn into Britain’s second-largest seaport?” Harry reprimands her, “don’t be rude. I’ve invested a lot of time and emotion into that bottom.” A simple exchange of banter that shows the love between Harry and Karen, that, of course, also makes his betrayal all that more painful.
Karen and Bernard then meet with the headmistress to discuss his Christmas wish of everyone’s farts being visible. Karen pulls him into the hallway ostensibly to reprimand him and instead laments that no one at the school can understand his “high-class comedy,” we get a lovely look at a non-romantic form of love between mother and son.
This article was written for whynow UK. View the rest at the original here: https://whynow.co.uk/read/deleted-scenes-love-actually
Ada McVean 