Love Actually axed huge storyline from the iconic Christmas film as director says ‘I let myself down there’

LOVE Actually director Richard Curtis has revealed his regret after ditching a huge storyline from the iconic Christmas film.

The acclaimed filmmaker appeared on the latest edition of the London Love Stories podcast and explained what he would do differently if he was making the film today.

He said: “We were meant to have an LGBTQ story but it got cut and I feel as though I let myself down there. And the diversity issue is very different now.

“It would’ve been lovely to make the film more culturally rich. To have had Hanukkah, to have had Diwali in there.

“So I do think if I did it again, it would have a broader spread to it than the film now does.”

The film, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is a who’s who of UK acting talent.

The likes of Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and Keira Knightley were just some of the A-list names involved.

It consisted of nine interconnected story arcs featuring all manner of romances and relationships that built to a festive crescendo.

Among them was Grant playing a prime minister who fell in love with his house staff member Natalie, played by Martine McCutcheon.

In one iconic scene, the smitten PM enjoys an out of character boogie in the halls of Number 10.

While it was fun to watch, Grant hated every minute of making the scene.

He said: “There was this dance written and I thought, ‘that’s going to be excruciating’ and it has the power to be the most excruciating scene ever committed to celluloid.

“I certainly dreaded filming it and Richard kept saying, ‘Don’t you think we’d better rehearse the dancing scene?’ And I’d say, ‘Uh yes I’ve just gotta learn some lines…my ankle hurts today’. So it was never rehearsed.”