Love Actually writer and director Richard Curtis has admitted that he finds a storyline between two of his characters “weird” 20 years on.
In one particular scene in the film, viewers watch as Andrew Lincoln’s character, Mark, declares his unrequited love for his best friend’s wife Juliet, played by Keira Knightley.
Standing at her front door, he tells Juliet she’s “perfect” with a series of cue cards.
In the years following the movie’s release, the scene, as well as Mark’s storyline, has faced criticism for romanticising stalking behaviours.
Now addressing the controversial scene two decades on, the 67-year-old screenwriter has admitted he now understands why the storyline has been deemed problematic.
Curtis told The Independent: “I think it’s a bit weird.
“I mean, I remember being taken by surprise about seven years ago, I was going to be interviewed by somebody and they said, ‘Of course, we’re mainly interested in the stalker scene,’ and I said, ‘What scene is that?’ And then I was, like, educated in it.
“All I can say is that a lot of intelligent people were involved in the film at the time, and we didn’t think it was a stalker scene. But if it’s interesting or funny for different reasons [now] then, you know, God bless our progressive world.”
Previously, Martine McCutcheon, who played the role of Natalie in the Christmas flick, defended the doorstep scene and insisted that she didn’t find the storyline “creepy”.
She shared back in 2020: “I don’t think it’s creepy at all. I think people do crazy things when they are in love with people.
“He had his moment where he thought, ‘Enough now, I’ve told her how I feel, I love my friend too but I had to get it off my chest in the right way.’”
