Entertainment

The 'Love Actually' Sequel Trailer Is Here

by Amy Mackelden
BBC

The classic romantic comedy Love Actually came out way back in 2003, but that hasn't stopped fans dreaming that one day a sequel would happen. Despite being a bit of a mixed bag so far, 2017 has granted this one wish, and the Love Actually sequel trailer is here to whet your appetite. Many original cast members are reuniting for the short film, which is being made for charity event Red Nose Day, including Hugh Grant and Liam Neeson. And now Andrew Lincoln is here to remind you all why the world needs a Love Actually sequel, even if his character is pretty creepy, actually.

Before he was The Walking Dead's Rick Grimes, Lincoln played the hapless Mark, who was desperately in love with Keira Knightley's Juliet. There was one glaring problem, though. Juliet got married to Mark's best friend Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) in the movie, leaving his love unrequited. That didn't stop Mark making a grand romantic gesture on Juliet's doorstep, in which he declared his love for her on handwritten poster boards.

The internet hasn't looked so favorably on this scene in hindsight, considering Mark's actions in Love Actually to be inappropriate and predatory. In Feb. 2016, Bustle's Amanda Chatel said,

"It gets creepy... when Mark records their wedding, focusing solely on Juliet's face, all close up, then shows up at the door professing his undying love in the form of cards. While the latter seems romantic in theory, the former, definitely not so much. Mark shouldn't be allowed near a video camera EVER AGAIN."

That the first trailer for "Red Nose Day Actually" returns directly to the scene of the crime can't be a coincidence, can it?

In the original movie, after Mark declared his love for Juliet and she kissed him (out of pity?), he uttered the words, "Enough now," indicating that he was finally moving on with his life. However, did Mark move on, or is he stuck in the exact same place he was in in 2003? Holding handwritten poster boards up for the camera in the new trailer, Andrew Lincoln's character now appears to be in on the joke, but he's still making a grand gesture on Keira Knightley's doorstep.

Lincoln's wry smile at the camera at the end of the trailer is proof that the cast love reuniting for the Love Actually sequel. It also indicates that the short film will give fans updates on all of their favorite characters, infused with Richard Curtis's particular brand of comedy.

Most of all, "Red Nose Day Actually" is the gift we all need in 2017, to remind us that love exists — even if Lincoln's character still seems to be creepy AF.