Richard Curtis recently reflected back on his directorial debut Love Actually. The filmmaker admitted that the film lacked diversity and could have benefited more from a better portrayal of the rich cultural heritage of the country. Speaking on a podcast, the director noted that the film should have had a Diwali and a Hanukkah scene. 

Richard Curtis discusses what he could have added to improve Love Actually

Filmmaker Richard Curtis has been looking back on his 2003 rom-com Love Actually. He discussed more ways he wished he could improve his film and said that he wished he had included more religions in the film. The film had a divided fanbase due to a lack of diversity, cruel jokes, and stereotyped characters. Curtis himself has noted that the star-studded movie failed on a cultural level. He touched upon a storyline that was cut from the film that featured acclaimed actresses Anne Reid and Frances de La Tour. He said: "We were meant to have an LGBTQ story [in Love Actually] but it got cut and I feel as though I let myself down there. And the diversity issue is very different now. It would’ve been lovely to make the film more culturally rich. To have had Hanukkah, to have had Diwali in there.” “So I do think if I did it again it would have a broader spread to it than the film now does."

Curtis was a guest on the London Love Stories podcast where he reflected on his film, which was his directorial debut, reports mirror.co.uk. In axed scenes, 88-year-old actress Anne played a lesbian headmistress who would have interacted with 64-year-old Emma’s character and her family and had a terminally ill partner named Geraldine who was played by 79-year-old Harry Potter actress Frances. While the scenes were cut from the film, they were released in home media releases of the film.

All about Love Actually 

Released in 2003, Love Actually is a Christmas romantic comedy film. The film narrates the story of weeks leading upto Christmas. The ensemble star cast of the movie features High Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Andrew Lincoln and others. 

(With inputs from IANS)