‘No! It was 20 years ago’: Emma Thompson doesn’t rewatch Love Actually despite memorable role in festive film

Emma Thompson has refelected on her appearance in popular festive film, Love Actually.

The actress, 63, from London, recently appeared on an episode of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, to speak about her role in new film Matilda The Musical.

They went on to speak about her much-loved film, Love Actually. The Christmas-themed rom-com, consists of multiple stories focusing on different aspects of love and as the movie progresses they intertwine until they reach the big day.

In the 2003 hit film, Emma plays Karen, a woman whose husband becomes attracted to his younger secretary. Audiences have often cited her character’s storyline as the most heartbreaking in the film.

Jimmy Fallon took the opportunity to ask Emma about the popular holiday film, and whether she ever rewatches it during this festive time of the year.

Emma replied: “No! It was 20 years ago.” Fallon suggested: “But isn’t it kind of fun to put it on and go, ‘Oh, I remember where we were when we were doing that?’”

The Sense and Sensibility star explained: “No, not really, you just think… I don’t think I was very well paid for that, and that was that terrible trailer with the loo that really stank… these are the things that you remember.”

Emma’s character in Love Actually opens a gift from her husband on Christmas Eve which she expects to be a necklace, but soon discovers is a Joni Mitchell CD. After this, she realises that the necklace she saw him purchase was a gift for someone else, making her suspect that he is having an affair.

Fallon went on to reference this heartbreaking detail and asked Emma if fans send her Joni Mitchell CDs, the actress joked: “I have a separate house for those.”

Emma Thompson, who is on a promotional tour, also spoke with Hoda and Jenna on the TODAY Show about the emotional Love Actually scene.

Host Hoda asked: “What was it about those few seconds on screen that lived inside of us for 20 plus years?”

Emma said: "I think it’s to do with the fact that we’re required in our lives to repress the things that we’re feeling. So, you can be hit right between the eyes with some terrible piece of news, but you can’t react immediately because you’ve got your children there.”

“It’s that thing of not showing — that’s why it hurts. That’s why it moves us,” Emma added.

Emma revealed that even to this day she meets people that are clearly emotional about that scene, and she says to them: “you’ve been through it haven’t you? I can tell."