THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Love Actually' 17 years later

Kim RenfroDec 16, 2020, 05:59 IST

Hugh Grant plays the prime minister in "Love Actually."Universal and Getty Images

The holiday rom-com "Love Actually" premiered in 2003.
Seventeen years later, the movie's many stars have gone on to appear in Oscar-winning movies, Netflix original TV shows, HBO miniseries, and more.
Insider has taken a closer look at what all the major stars of "Love Actually" are doing now.

"Love Actually" hit theaters just in time for 2003's holiday season, and audiences deemed it an instant Christmas classic.

Though the movie has a problematic treatment of women, "Love Actually" remains a holiday staple for many.

Keep reading for a look at how the star-studded cast looked then, what they look like now, and what they've been up to in between.

We all remember Liam Neeson played the newly widowed character Daniel.

Daniel was one of the most heartbreaking characters in the movie. Universal

Neeson went on to portray a man with a very special set of skills in "Taken" (and in its two sequels), as well as dozens of other notable roles.

Neeson also starred in 2016's "Silence." Mike Coppola/Getty

In "Love Actually," Neeson's character had a young stepson named Sam.

Sam's childhood crush is one of the movie's only PG storylines. Universal

Thomas Brodie-Sangster went on to voice Ferb Fletcher in Disney's "Phineas and Ferb," but most will recognize him in 2020 as Benny Watts in Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit."

Thomas Brodie-Sangster in "The Queen's Gambit" and in "Game of Thrones." Netflix and HBO

Thomas Brodie-Sangster went on to voice Ferb Fletcher in Disney's "Phineas and Ferb," but most will recognize him in 2020 as Benny Watts in Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit."

Sam's school crush in the movie is an American girl named Joanna.

The school holiday concert is the epic climax of "Love Actually," when all the different characters come together. Universal

Olivia Olson went on to costar in the animated series "Phineas and Ferb," as well as in Cartoon Network's "Adventure Time."

Olivia Olson backstage at the "X Factor Celebrity " Final at LH2 Studios on November 30, 2019 in London, England. Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

The only other American character was Sarah.

Sarah was too occupied with her hospitalized brother to have a love life. Universal

Laura Linney starred in horror movie "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" in 2005, and now you can watch her in the Netflix drama series "Ozark."

Laura Linney poses on a red carpet in January 2020. Bruce Glikas/WireImage/Getty Images

Sarah's memorable love interest in the movie was Karl, played by Rodrigo Santoro.

Karl and Sarah just weren't meant to be at the time. Universal

Rodrigo Santoro drastically switched up his look to play the god-king Xerxes in both "300" movies, but was more recognizable as Hector Escaton in HBO's "Westworld."

Rodrigo Santoro attends the Build Series on December 10, 2019 in New York City. Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

Sarah and Karl's boss was Harry, a wry man who had an emotional affair with his secretary.

Harry screws up big time in "Love Actually." Universal

Alan Rickman died in early 2016 after a cancer diagnosis.

Rickman's death in 2016 was devastating news. AP

Emma Thompson was cast as Karen, Harry's charming wife.

Karen was a dutiful mother and loyal wife to Harry. Universal

Thompson voiced Mrs. Potts in the 2017 "Beauty and the Beast" live-action remake,

Dame Emma Thompson attends the "Dolittle" special screening at Cineworld Leicester Square on January 25, 2020 in London, England. Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images

The ex-drug addict rock star character Billy Mack helped put some raunchiness into "Love Actually."

Billy Mack tells a radio host that he shagged Britney Spears. Universal

Bill Nighy is yet another "Harry Potter" alumni - he played Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour.

Nighy also starred as Davy Jones in the 2006 "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest." Neison Barnard/Getty

Another small character who ramped up the R-rating factor was John - a nude body double working on a movie set.

These were some of the movie's most straightforward nude scenes. Universal

Martin Freeman had far less nudity involved in his roles as Bilbo Baggins for "The Hobbit" franchise and Dr. John Watson in "Sherlock."

Martin Freeman attends the "The Operative" on November 14, 2019 in London, England. Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

Hugh Grant played the newly-elected Prime Minister.

Ah, yes, the charming bachelor Prime Minister. Universal

Grant played a fantastic villain in 2017's "Paddington 2," and most recently starred in an HBO miniseries called "The Undoing."

Hugh Grant poses on the red carpet prior to the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony in Berlin on February 17, 2020. Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images

Grant's political nemesis in "Love Actually" was the President of the United States, played by Billy Bob Thornton.

President Billy Bob himself. Universal

Thornton went on to star in a different kind of holiday movie, "Bad Santa" - which had a sequel in 2016.

He also had a recurring role in the TV series "Fargo." Jamie McCarthy/Getty

One of the smaller roles in "Love Actually" was the sexy Wisconsin sisters Colin met in a bar.

We barely remembered that Jones was in "Love Actually." Universal Pictures

January Jones' big breakout role came in 2007 with AMC's "Mad Men," where she played opposite Jon Hamm as his wife Betty.

David Buchan / Stringer

Another minor character was Peter, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose wedding is part of the movie's love-filled opening sequence.

Peter gets married while wearing a shockingly pink shirt. Universal

Chiwetel Ejiofor may have had a small part in "Love Actually," but his career has exploded since then.

Ejiofor at a red carpet appearance for "The Martian." Getty Images

Peter's new wife was Juliet, played by Keira Knightley.

Bringing pie did not help the awkwardness of this scene, Juliet. Universal

Keira Knightley has since made a name for herself in period pieces such as "Pride and Prejudice," "Atonement," and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.

Keira Knightley at the premiere of the film "Official Secrets" in 2019. Isabel Infantes/AFP/Getty Images

Andrew Lincoln played Mark - the third wheel in Peter and Juliet's relationship.

The signs Peter makes for Juliet are unforgettably cheesy. Universal via YouTube

Lincoln went on to star in "The Walking Dead," and eventually left the show in 2018.

Lincoln at a red carpet premiere for "The Walking Dead." John Sciulli/Getty Images for AMC

One of the funnier moments in "Love Actually" came from a short scene with an overly enthusiastic jewelry salesman played by Rowan Atkinson.

He took far too long while packaging a necklace for Harry. Universal

Atkinson continued to star on TV as Mr. Bean, and in 2020 it was announced that he's developing several new Netflix originals.

British actor/comedian Rowan Atkinson arrives for the special screening of "Johnny English Strikes Again" at AMC Lincoln Square in New York on October 23, 2018. Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

Colin Firth played the sad sap Jaime, who started off the movie getting cheated on.

Firth was another household name who co-starred in "Love Actually." Universal

In the years since, Firth has been cast in acclaimed roles for movies like "A Single Man," and Oscar-winning drama "The King's Speech."

Colin Firth attends the "Supernova" Premiere during the 64th BFI London Film Festival at BFI Southbank on October 11, 2020 in London, England Dave Benett/WireImage/Getty Images

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THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Love Actually' 17 years later

We all remember Liam Neeson played the newly widowed character Daniel.

Neeson went on to portray a man with a very special set of skills in "Taken" (and in its two sequels), as well as dozens of other notable roles.

In "Love Actually," Neeson's character had a young stepson named Sam.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster went on to voice Ferb Fletcher in Disney's "Phineas and Ferb," but most will recognize him in 2020 as Benny Watts in Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit."

Sam's school crush in the movie is an American girl named Joanna.

Olivia Olson went on to costar in the animated series "Phineas and Ferb," as well as in Cartoon Network's "Adventure Time."

The only other American character was Sarah.

Laura Linney starred in horror movie "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" in 2005, and now you can watch her in the Netflix drama series "Ozark."

Sarah's memorable love interest in the movie was Karl, played by Rodrigo Santoro.

Rodrigo Santoro drastically switched up his look to play the god-king Xerxes in both "300" movies, but was more recognizable as Hector Escaton in HBO's "Westworld."

Sarah and Karl's boss was Harry, a wry man who had an emotional affair with his secretary.

Alan Rickman died in early 2016 after a cancer diagnosis.

Emma Thompson was cast as Karen, Harry's charming wife.

Thompson voiced Mrs. Potts in the 2017 "Beauty and the Beast" live-action remake,

The ex-drug addict rock star character Billy Mack helped put some raunchiness into "Love Actually."

Bill Nighy is yet another "Harry Potter" alumni - he played Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour.

Another small character who ramped up the R-rating factor was John - a nude body double working on a movie set.

Martin Freeman had far less nudity involved in his roles as Bilbo Baggins for "The Hobbit" franchise and Dr. John Watson in "Sherlock."

Hugh Grant played the newly-elected Prime Minister.

Grant played a fantastic villain in 2017's "Paddington 2," and most recently starred in an HBO miniseries called "The Undoing."

Grant's political nemesis in "Love Actually" was the President of the United States, played by Billy Bob Thornton.

Thornton went on to star in a different kind of holiday movie, "Bad Santa" - which had a sequel in 2016.

One of the smaller roles in "Love Actually" was the sexy Wisconsin sisters Colin met in a bar.

January Jones' big breakout role came in 2007 with AMC's "Mad Men," where she played opposite Jon Hamm as his wife Betty.

Another minor character was Peter, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, whose wedding is part of the movie's love-filled opening sequence.

Chiwetel Ejiofor may have had a small part in "Love Actually," but his career has exploded since then.

Peter's new wife was Juliet, played by Keira Knightley.

Keira Knightley has since made a name for herself in period pieces such as "Pride and Prejudice," "Atonement," and the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.

Andrew Lincoln played Mark - the third wheel in Peter and Juliet's relationship.

Lincoln went on to star in "The Walking Dead," and eventually left the show in 2018.

One of the funnier moments in "Love Actually" came from a short scene with an overly enthusiastic jewelry salesman played by Rowan Atkinson.

Atkinson continued to star on TV as Mr. Bean, and in 2020 it was announced that he's developing several new Netflix originals.

Colin Firth played the sad sap Jaime, who started off the movie getting cheated on.

In the years since, Firth has been cast in acclaimed roles for movies like "A Single Man," and Oscar-winning drama "The King's Speech."