Love Actually star Thomas Brodie-Sangster recently shared that he faced bullying as a child due to his role in the polarizing film.
Now 34, Brodie-Sangster has built a notable career across film and television, though he remains widely recognized for his portrayal of Sam in the 2003 romantic comedy. In Love Actually, he starred alongside Liam Neeson, who played his character’s father, Daniel.
Despite the opportunity to work with top British actors, Brodie-Sangster’s early success was met with cruelty from some of his peers.
The film premiered when he was just 13, a time when he was balancing both school and acting. In a recent interview, he discussed how other students at his drama academy often exhibited jealousy, though he remained unaffected by their negativity.
He explained, “[The other pupils] would all ask where I’d been and get a little jealous I got that much time off school.
But I always told myself it was good to go back to school to hang around kids my own age. People tried to pick on me, but I don’t think I cared enough.
They would try to bully me for being in a film. But that was my job! I liked doing that! So what was their point? Eventually, I kind of made friends with them, and they saw that I was all right.”
Although Brodie-Sangster has since appeared in notable projects like The Maze Runner franchise, the Beatles biopic Nowhere Boy, and HBO’s Game of Thrones, he often feels “old” when fans recognize him for roles he played nearly two decades ago, including the 2005 movie Nanny McPhee.
Reflecting on this, he said, “It’s really cool. Mothers or, like, big dudes will come up and say, ‘I loved Nanny McPhee as a kid!’ and now they’re grown-up.
It does make you feel a little old, but it’s nice. It’s like Love Actually, everyone loves it, it’s not controversial. It’s an honor, really, to be in movies that have stood the test of time.”
While Brodie-Sangster insists that “everyone loves” Love Actually, the film has been criticized in recent years. Modern reviewers have described it as “spiritless and insincere,” citing lackluster performances from some of its stars.
Certain elements, such as jokes about Martine McCutcheon’s character, Natalie, have aged poorly.
Director Richard Curtis has even expressed regret over some of the film’s content, admitting he felt guilty about the harsh jokes and was criticized by his own family for them.
