Love Actually cast 2022: where are Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and the other Richard Curtis movie stars today?

It’s also, famously, a movie with a big cast and complex overlapping storylines. With many of the cast having gone on to become even bigger stars in the years since, you might find yourself wondering – what are they all up to at the moment?

Here’s everything you need to know about where the cast of Love Actually are now.

Hugh Grant as David

Who did they play in Love Actually? Hugh Grant played David, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Where are they now? Since starring in Love Actually, Hugh Grant has taken on a number of character actor roles, appearing in dramas like The Undoing and A Very English Scandal to much acclaim. He also appeared in Paddington 2, which is likely to become another Christmas staple like Love Actually.

Martine McCutcheon as Natalie

Who did they play in Love Actually? Martine McCutcheon played Natalie, a Downing Street secretary.

Where are they now? Generally speaking, McCutcheon hasn’t done a huge amount of acting since Love Actually – she’s appeared in individual episodes of things like Spooks and Midsomer Murders, but generally tends towards appearing as herself in things like Loose Women, The Masked Singer, and Celebrity Gogglebox.

Emma Thompson as Karen

Who did they play in Love Actually? Emma Thompson played Karen, a stay-at-home mother married to Alan Rickman’s character Harry. Her brother is David, the Prime Minister.

Where are they now? Thompson has continued to act, receiving particular acclaim last year for her role in the filmGood Luck to You, Leo Grande. She also wrote the film Last Christmas, in which she starred alongside Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding, and played Nanny McPhee in two family films. Thompson can next be seen in Matilda.

Alan Rickman as Harry

Who did they play in Love Actually? Alan Rickman played Harry, the director of a design agency who has an affair with his secretary.

Where are they now? After Love Actually, Rickman went on to star in the Harry Potter movies, as well as writing and directing the period drama A Little Chaos. Rickman passed away in 2016, having suffered with pancreatic cancer; a collection of his diaries entitled ‘Madly, Deeply’ were published earlier this year.

Liam Neeson as Daniel

Who did they play in Love Actually? Liam Neeson played Daniel, a recently bereaved man trying to raise his step-son after the death of his wife.

Where are they now? Since Love Actually, Neeson has gone on to become particularly famous for a string of action movies (the most high-profile of which are the Taken series). He’s also starred in dramas like Silence, Widows, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs; earlier this year, he appeared in the third series of Derry Girls.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Sam

Who did they play in Love Actually? Thomas Brodie-Sangster played Sam, a young boy with his first crush on a classmate.

Where are they now? Brodie-Sangster has gone on to appear in fantasy drama Game of Thrones, sports epic The Queen’s Gambit, and musical biopic Pistol, though probably his most iconic role is as Ferb in Phineas and Ferb. (Fun fact: Olivia Olson, who plays Sam’s classmate in Love Actually, also plays Vanessa in Phineas and Ferb.)

Colin Firth as Jamie

Who did they play in Love Actually? Colin Firth played Jamie, a novelist who goes on a solitary writing retreat after learning his wife was having an affair.

Where are they now? In recent years, Firth has received much acclaim for appearing in films like A Single Man, 1917, Supernova, and The King’s Speech (which won him an Oscar). He’s also appeared in popular film franchises Kingsman and Mamma Mia.

Kiera Knightley as Juliet

Who did they play in Love Actually? Kiera Knightley played Juliet, a young woman who recently married the love of her life Peter.

Where are they now? Knightley went on to appear in period drama Pride and Prejudice, romcom Begin Again, and true-story political thriller Official Secrets. She can next be seen in an adaptation of Ann Leckie’s sci-fi novel Ancillary Justice, which will be her first major television series.

Andrew Lincoln as Mark

Who did they play in Love Actually? Andrew Lincoln played Mark, who was secretly in love with his best friend Peter’s wife.

Where are they now? After starring in Love Actually, Andrew Lincoln went on to play Rick Grimes in zombie drama The Walking Dead. He starred in the series for over a decade, and is currently preparing to reprise his role in a new spinoff series.

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peter

Who did they play in Love Actually? Chiwetel Ejiofor played Peter, recently married to Juliet, totally unaware his best friend Mark was also in love with her.

Where are they now? Ejiofor was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 12 Years a Slave in 2013, and since gone on to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the magical villain Baron Mordo. Earlier this year, he appeared in the Paramount+ science fiction drama The Man Who Fell to Earth alongside his Love Actually co-star Bill Nighy.

Martin Freeman as John

Who did they play in Love Actually? Martin Freeman played John, a body double for sex scenes in movies.

Where are they now? Perhaps Freeman’s most high-profile role since Love Actually was as John Watson in Sherlock, though you’ll also recognise him from the Hobbit trilogy. He’s since also starred in crime dramas Fargo, A Confession, and The Responder, as well as taking on a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Everett K Ross.

Joanna Page as Judy

Who did they play in Love Actually? Joanna Page played Judy, another body double for sex scenes in movies.

Where are they now? Joanna Page’s most famous role – Stacey in Gavin & Stacey – came just a few years after Love Actually. She’s since also starred in the films Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger, Dream Horse, and Dolittle, though has said she now largely prefers presenting documentaries to acting.

Laura Linney as Sarah

Who did they play in Love Actually? Laura Linney played Sarah, an American woman living in London and taking care of her brother.

Where are they now? Linney went on to appear in films like The Squid and the Whale (excellent), Sully, and Nocturnal Animals, though she’s probably now best known for her Emmy-winning appearances in Frasier. In recent years, Linney has starred alongside Jason Bateman in the Netflix crime drama Ozark.

Bill Nighy as Billy Mack

Who did they play in Love Actually? Bill Nighy played Billy Mack, a washed-up rock star with a new Christmas album.

Where are they now? Nighy has continued to collaborate regularly with Richard Curtis, appearing in both his time-travel romcom About Time and his Doctor Who episode Vincent and the Doctor; other notable roles since Love Actually include Hot Fuzz, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and Living.

Rowan Atkinson as Rufus

Who did they play in Love Actually? Rowan Atkinson played Rufus, a mysterious shop steward who took a very long time to do anything.

Where are they now? Atkinson has since starred in three Johnny English movies, the Netflix slapstick comedy series Man vs Bee, and the ITV detective drama Maigret. He can next be seen alongside Timothee Chalamet in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prequel Wonka.

Kris Marshall as Colin

Who did they play in Love Actually? Kris Marshall played Colin, who goes to America in search of a girlfriend (or three).

Where are they now? Kris Marshall went on to star in My Family, Death in Paradise, and a series of BT phone adverts. After appearing in the ITV Jane Austen adaptation Sanditon, Marshall has since signed on to appear in Beyond Paradise, a new UK-set spinoff for his Death in Paradise character Humphrey Goodman.