Love Actually: Martine McCutcheon says non-‘PC’ moments add to Christmas film’s ‘charm’

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Martine McCutcheon has argued that the “out of date”, non-“PC” moments in Love Actually add to the film’s charm.

The British actor starred in the 2003 Christmas romcom as Natalie, a member of the new prime minister’s (Hugh Grant) household staff.

Last week, filmmaker Richard Curtis said that there were moments in the film that felt “out of date” and he would now “change”, adding that “the lack of diversity makes me feel uncomfortable and a bit stupid”.

However, in a new interview, McCutcheon has claimed that the film’s imperfections are what have kept people coming back to Love Actually “all these years later”.

“I think, honestly, it was 20 years ago, and the world has changed a lot, but I also think that part of the charm of the film was the fact that some of the love stories and the characters weren’t perfect,” she told MailOnline.

“They admitted – or we saw – their flaws [and] their insecurities, whether they were real or they weren’t. That’s what made it so human.”

McCutcheon also defended the ways in which her character of Natalie is referred to as “the chubby girl” throughout the film.

One member of the prime minister’s staff comments on Natalie’s “sizable arse”, while she says that her ex broke up with her because “nobody wants a girlfriend with thighs the size of tree trunks”.

Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon in Love Actually (Universal)

“For me, part of the reason that I love the film is because it was so honest and it wasn’t about ticking too many boxes and being PC, it was about being human,” McCutcheon said.

“I think it was really sweet and innocent of Natalie’s character and who she was to speak to the prime minister about that of all things.”

Alluding to Curtis’s comments, she continued: “Obviously if it was done now I have no doubt that they might do it differently, but I still absolutely love the film and the charm of it and its message that ultimately love can be complicated and messy and not perfect, or forbidden if you’re in love with your best friend’s wife or people having affairs, because it was not perfect and it showed that there was still this hope with it.”