The One Thing Director Richard Curtis Would Change About Love Actually Today

If you consider 2003’s Love Actually a mandatory must-watch come Christmastime, there’s a good chance you have some pretty strong opinions about the star-studded British romantic comedy.

(There are light spoilers beyond this point, so tread carefully if you’re still planning to watch for the first time.)

Maybe you feel that Alan Rickman’s character’s infidelity is decidedly un-Christmasy, or that the way Andrew Lincoln’s character expresses his love for his best friend’s wife is much less romantic than everyone else seems to think. Or maybe you (wrongly) believe that Hugh Grant’s iconic Pointer Sisters dance scene is overindulgent and improbable.

Whatever your opinions, you can at least rest assured that there was nothing you could possibly have done to change anything about this movie—those decisions lie solely with the filmmakers.

Having said that, filmmakers sometimes harbor their own regrets about how things went down, especially with 16 years’ worth of hindsight. And in this case, Love Actually director Richard Curtis has one very specific thing in mind that he would’ve changed.

“I think the naked people should be wearing more clothes,” he told Metro at the Global Citizen Awards, according to Marie Claire.

The naked people in question are played by Martin Freeman and Joanna Page, whose characters are body doubles blocking intimate scenes for actors in an adult film. As Freeman explained on The Graham Norton Show in 2016, the scenes are meant to be innocent and fun, rather than sexy. And he’s definitely right—but the characters’ nakedness is still kind of a turn-off if you’re weighing the merits of watching Love Actually with your parents over Christmas.

If you're looking for ideas, check out 10 offbeat, could-be Christmas movies here.