Emma Thompson not doing Love Actually 2 because of Alan Rickman: ‘It would be too sad’
'There isn't much comic relief in the loss of our dear friend'
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Your support makes all the difference.Emma Thompson has confirmed what we suspected, that she isn’t going to be in the Love Actually mini-sequel not because of scheduling conflicts, but simply because it wouldn’t be right.
Writer-director considered writing a narrative for Karen without Harry, but ultimately decided against it.
"Richard wrote to me and said, 'Darling, we can't write anything for you because of Alan', and I said, 'no of course, it would be sad, too sad’” Thompson told PA.
"It's too soon. It's absolutely right because it's supposed to be for Comic Relief – but there isn't much comic relief in the loss of our dear friend really, only just over a year ago.
"We thought and thought but it just seemed wrong... to revisit the wonderful fun characters of Bill Nighy and Hugh Grant and Liam [Neeson] and all of that, that's fantastic – but obviously what would he [Richard Curtis] have done?"
"It was absolutely the right decision."
Thompson did, however, explain what might have happened to the couple since that infamous Joni Mitchell CD-orientated Christmas Day (which fits with the script editor’s confirmation that they stayed together in spite of it).
"Both of them would be in therapy by now and I would be working on some kind of ward,” she said.
Curtis previously described the idea of a Rickman tribute in the 10-minute short as “very complicated”.
While we might not be getting a new chapter of Harry and Karen, this film Rickman and Thompson once made is essentially the Love Actually sequel you’re looking for.
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