Emma Thompson Not Taking Part in Love Actually Reunion Due to Alan Rickman's Death: "It's Too Soon"

"It's absolutely right because it's supposed to be for Comic Relief but there isn't much comic relief in the loss of our dear friend really only just over a year ago," the actress said

By Corinne Heller Feb 24, 2017 4:34 PMTags
Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Love ActuallyUniversal Pictures

You will not see Emma Thompson in the upcoming Love Actually reunion, for a sad reason.

Many of the other cast members had last week gotten together to film a mini-movie for Red Nose Day, a biennial U.K. telethon to raise money for the Comic Relief charity, which helps impoverished children and their families.

In Richard Curtis' 2003 cult romantic comedy and ensemble film Love Actually, Thompson and Alan Rickman, played a husband and wife whose marriage is strained by his romantic feelings towards another woman. The actor died at age 69 in 2016 after a cancer battle. Love Actually is one of nine films he and Thompson had appeared in together. The list includes three Harry Potter movies. 

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Get Your First Look at the Love Actually Reunion for Their Special Red Nose Day Mini-Movie

"Richard wrote to me and said, 'Darling, we can't write anything for you because of Alan,' and I said, 'No of course, it would be sad, too sad.'" Thompson told the Press Association in an interview published Friday.

"It's too soon. It's absolutely right because it's supposed to be for Comic Relief but there isn't much comic relief in the loss of our dear friend really only just over a year ago," she said. "We thought and thought but it just seemed wrong but to revisit the wonderful fun characters of Bill Nighy and Hugh Grant and Liam (Neeson) and all of that, that's fantastic but obviously what would he have done? Both of them would be in therapy by now and I would be working on some kind of ward. It was absolutely the right decision."

In 2015, Curtis' wife and Love Actually script editor Emma Freud revealed what happened to Thompson and Rickman's characters.

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Olivia Olson Recalls Favorite Memory From the "Love Actually" Set

Curtis had told the Press Association earlier this week that Thompson would not take part in the Love Actually reunion.

"Ems isn't in it. She just can't do it," he said.

He was also asked if Rickman's character would be featured in any way.

"You know dealing with Alan is very complicated, so not really," he said. "We're not [involving] everyone. We're doing about two thirds of people."

Watch: In Memoriam: Fallen Stars of 2016

Aside from Nighy, Grant and Liam Neeson, other Love Actually stars set to take part in the charity show reunion include Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Rowan AtkinsonThomas Brodie-Sangster and Olivia Olson. The 10-minute film, titled Comic Relief Actually, will depict the lives of the characters in 2017. 

The Red Nose Day special airs on BBC1 on March 24.