Love Actually: where to watch deleted Christmas movie airport scene, Thomas Brodie-Sangster - why was it cut?

The ending of Christmas classic Love Actually is well documented, and resonates as perfect and heartwarming festive viewing due to its culmination of interconnected stories each offering a poignant or uplifting resolution.

As the film draws to a close, characters find closure, hope or new beginnings in their love lives (spoiler alert for those people who somehow still haven't seen it, 20 years on), and the culmination of various romantic arcs, from Colin Firth's unexpected love in Portugal to Hugh Grant's Prime Minister character declaring his affection, creates a tapestry of emotions.

But it all could have been very different, thanks to a scene that was left on the cutting room floor in which Thomas Brodie-Sangster's character cartwheels through an airport. Yes, really.

So what is it all about? Why was the sequence even shot in the first place, and why was it left out of the final film? Here is everything you need to know about it.

What happens in the deleted scene?

The deleted scene features Sam (played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and his pursuit of his crush, Joanna (played by Olivia Olson), at the airport.

Having rushed to the airport in the hopes of catching her before she leaves for America, Sam spots Joanna about to board her flight, and decides to make a grand gesture to impress her.

If you're reading this and thinking, "hang on, doesn't this happen in the final film?" you'd be right.

While the finished version of the film includes various shots of security guards chasing after the young boy (including one of Brodie-Sangster doing a jump over a guard and past the metal detector), what's deleted goes further still.

Displaying his affection and determination, Sam performs a backflip in the crowded airport terminal, hoping to garner Joanna's attention and convey his feelings for her.

His impressive feats continue, and he's seen cartwheeling through the lounge. Even when staff finally catch up to him, he manages to showcase his agility by performing a few full circles on a metal bar.

Why was it filmed?

The decision to shoot the scene likely stemmed from the filmmakers' intention to emphasise Sam's determination and bravery in expressing his feelings for Joanna.

It may have aimed to showcase his determination to seize the moment and make an impression on the girl he adores, despite the time constraints and emotional stakes.

Richard Curtis himself has acknowledged the scene's existence, and even admits in the film's commentary that they were "a bit torn" about whether to include it or not.

“In the original draft of the movie, there was lots of mentions about the fact that Sam, the little boy, was a brilliant gymnast and when he was sad you'd just see him casually being brilliant at gym," he said. “So when it came to an airport scene, he brought his gymnastic prowess into play."

Why was it cut?

The scene was obviously cut from the final version of Love Actually. The exact reasons for that may never be known, but its deletion could be attributed to pacing or the overall flow of the movie.

While the scene might have added a touching moment to Sam's character arc, its inclusion could have disrupted the film's emotional tone, and indeed, when the scene resurfaced on the internet a few years ago, many commentators dubbed it "hilarious".

That's likely because it's not actually Brodie-Sangster performing the acrobatics, but instead a body double who bears no resemblance to him - primarily because the double happens to be a fully grown adult (Brodie-Sangster would have been around 12 or 13 at the time of shooting).

"This is a very rough edit," Curtis said in the film's commentary. "There would have been some effects and polish done on it. We didn't in the end, and I thought it was fun."

While it offers an additional glimpse into Sam's pursuit of love, the scene's removal from the final cut didn't significantly impact the overall narrative arc or the film's reception.

Which is something of a shame, not least for the film's stunt coordinator Lee Sheward, who reportedly oversaw 40 stuntmen tumbling across a purpose-built recreation of Heathrow for the sequence.

"I think in total there were about 40 stunt men working on Love Actually," he told Metro. "People look at it and go '40 stuntmen on Love Actually?' The production actually built a whole airport terminal in Shepperton Studios... to put in isometric bars into the roof structure."

How can I watch the scene?

The infamous deleted scene can be found in some DVD or Blu-ray editions of Love Actually as an extra. It can also - handily - be found on YouTube.