Compare the Love Actually cast then and now as the Christmas classic lands on Netflix and ITVX

Though he started with a small role in Love Actually, Thomas Brodie-Sangster has become well-known for his work in popular franchises like The Maze Runner, Star Wars, and Nanny McPhee. He’s also appeared in hit TV shows such as Game of Thrones and Doctor Who. Currently, you can watch him play Jack Dawkins in The Artful Dodger on Disney+.

While Kris Marshall hasn’t appeared in a film as popular as Love Actually, he’s become well-known for playing the main character in Death in Paradise (2014-2017). He’s now reprising that role in a new spin-off series called Beyond Paradise.

Olivia Olson and Thomas Brodie-Sangster worked together on more than just Love Actually. They both provided voices for the animated series Phineas and Ferb, with Olson as Vanessa Doofenshmirtz and Brodie-Sangster as Ferb. Since then, Olson has primarily focused on voice acting, notably as the character Marceline in Adventure Time.

Okay, so Lúcia Moniz isn’t a huge name here in the States, but she’s a big deal back in Portugal – she’s a well-known actress and singer. I remember seeing her again in Red Nose Day Actually a few years back, which was cool because a lot of the original cast came back for it.

You might recognize Rodrigo Santoro – he’s been in a ton of stuff I’ve watched! I remember him as Paulo in Lost, which was heartbreaking, and he was awesome as Hector in Westworld. On the big screen, he totally was Xerxes in 300, and I loved his voice work as Tulio the ornithologist in both Rio movies. Apparently, he’s going to be in this new sci-fi show called Animal Race on Prime Video, which is coming out in 2026 – I’ll definitely be checking that out!

These days, Joanna Page is probably best known for her role in Gavin & Stacey, even more so than Love Actually. She recently returned as Stacey in the last episode of the popular show last Christmas, and it’s likely to become a holiday tradition for many viewers.

Martin Freeman first gained recognition in Love Actually and has since become known for playing memorable characters like Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit films, Dr. John Watson in Sherlock, and Everett Ross in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His next project is Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, which will be available on Netflix in January.

Similar to Lúcia Moniz, Heike Makatsch is more well-known in Germany than in the UK. She’s appeared in films like The Book Thief and the Apple TV+ comedy Where’s Wanda?, and will soon be starring in the Disney+ historical comedy Vienna Game.

Martine McCutcheon is best known for her role in Love Actually, which remains her biggest film part. Since then, she’s been a regular on popular TV shows like Spooks and Midsomer Murders, and she even performed as Swan on The Masked Singer UK. Recently, she worked with her Love Actually co-star Thomas Brodie-Sangster in a Christmas ad for Google.

After finding success with Love Actually, Colin Firth continued to star in popular films like Mamma Mia!, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and The King’s Speech, for which he won an Academy Award. He’s now appearing in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming science fiction film, Disclosure Day.

Andrew Lincoln became widely known for playing Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead, and recently returned to the role in the spin-off series The Ones Who Live. This year, he also appeared in the ITV thriller Coldwater – his most significant role since Love Actually.

Okay, so I was just thinking about Chiwetel Ejiofor – the guy is seriously talented. Remember Love Actually? Well, only about ten years later, he got an Oscar nomination for 12 Years a Slave, which was incredible. I recently saw him pop up in the newest Bridget Jones movie, and now I’m really excited because he’s going to be in this sci-fi horror flick called The Backrooms. He’s all over the place, and I’m here for it!

Everyone knows Hugh Grant has been busy since Love Actually, but many agree his best role in recent years was as Phoenix Buchanan in Paddington 2. He also recently returned as Daniel Cleaver in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

Keira Knightley starred as Elizabeth Swann in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, the same year Love Actually came out. More recently, she’s gained attention for her role in the popular Netflix series Black Doves.