Hugh Grant and wife Anna Eberstein recently sat down to watch his beloved Christmas rom-com — and took note of its elements of "pain" and "suffering."
During the ABC News special The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later that aired Tuesday night, Grant, 62, told host Diane Sawyer that he and Anna "drunkenly" watched Love Actually not too long ago.
"It comes from the heart — it's true," he said of the movie's themes. "And I did drunkenly watch a bit of Love Actually a few months ago with my wife, and she was the one who said, 'Oh look, it's all about pain; it's all about suffering.' "
Sawyer, 76, then said, "... and about awkwardness and little rejections and little disappointments in yourself." Grant agreed, "Yes."
Writer/director Richard Curtis also worked with Grant on 1994's Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1999's Notting Hill and 2001's Bridget Jones's Diary. Curtis, 66, told Sawyer that Grant is "my luckiest break."
"I don't even know if I'd have a career without Hugh, so I'm very grateful he came along," said Curtis, adding, "His crankiness isn't just pretend. He's often cranky and often unhappy, but he's also the only person in the world who's never sent me a text that hasn't made me laugh."
Grant complimented Curtis' writing, telling Sawyer that Love Actually "is a bit psychotic" and is "Richard on steroids." He added, "But the thing is with him, what you have to remember is when he writes about love, he means it. And that is quite rare."
The hourlong special, which is available to stream on Hulu starting Wednesday, features cast members Emma Thompson (Karen), Grant (David/the prime minister), Laura Linney (Sarah), Bill Nighy (Billy Mack), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Sam), Olivia Olson (Joanna) and more, plus Curtis and a message from Martine McCutcheon (Natalie).
The 2003 holiday film also starred the late Alan Rickman, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rodrigo Santoro, Lúcia Moniz, Martin Freeman, Kris Marshall, Joanna Page, Heike Makatsch, Abdul Salis, Gregor Fisher and Liam Neeson.
Additionally, the rom-com included cameos from Denise Richards, Billy Bob Thornton, January Jones, Elisha Cuthbert, Shannon Elizabeth, Claudia Schiffer and Rowan Atkinson.
Tonight — Hope you’ll join us as we discover the secrets and stories behind one of the most beloved Christmas movies of our time — Love Actually. A new look at its hilarity, heartbreak, and lessons of love. Tonight at 8:00pm EST on @ABC2020 @ABC. Wednesday on @hulu pic.twitter.com/MFkPPEXVlM
— Diane Sawyer (@DianeSawyer) November 29, 2022
Much of the cast reunited back in 2017 for a Love Actually mini-sequel. The 10-minute revival, written and directed again by Curtis, was part of Comic Relief's annual Red Nose Day, a fundraiser for children that draws huge stars for its comedy routines.
In the ABC News special, Grant also admitted he "hate(d)" the idea of his iconic dance scene. The scene in question sees Grant's character David, aka the prime minister, getting down throughout his residence at 10 Downing Street to a backing track of The Pointer Sisters' "Jump."
"I saw it in the script and I thought, 'Well, I'll hate doing that,' " he said. "I didn't fancy doing the dance at all, let alone rehearsing it."
"He kept saying no," added Curtis, joking, "I think he was hoping I'd get ill or something and we'd say, 'Oh, well, what a shame, we'll have to lose that dancing sequence.' "
Love Actually is now streaming on Peacock.
