The iconic opening scene from the heartwarming Christmas movie Love Actually has been recreated and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time as families and loved ones who have been separated for nearly two years by pandemic travel restrictions are finally able to see and hug one another again.
“The opening scene nearly two decades ago reminded us that no matter what, love is everywhere,” said Martine McCutcheon who played Natalie in the original movie which was first released 18-years ago.
“Watching families and friends reunite after so long is incredibly touching, and I hope that people take comfort from the film and get to see the people they love most very soon,” McCutcheon, who reads the reimagined monologue, continued.
The scenes were reshot in the arrivals hall at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 where the original opening scene was filmed and features real families greeting each other again after pandemic-induced separation.
Research commissioned by Heathrow earlier this year found that nearly 2 in 3 hadn’t seen a loved one in over a year because of pandemic restrictions. Travel rules are gradually being eased but the Omicron threat has brought a wave of new restrictions that are yet again separating families.
The monologue was rewritten by Love Actually script-supervisor Lisa Vick who says the reimagined words were a “way of celebrating the world’s resilience in the face of the great challenges experienced over the last two years, and the love that people have for families and friends around the world.”
