Love Actually star says romcoms have lost their magic | Love Actually

If modern romcoms aren’t distracting you anymore, you’re not alone in wondering where the magic went.

According to one of the stars of Love Actually, romantic comedies aren’t as good as they used to be.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who played love-struck teen Sam in Richard Curtis’ Christmas film, has said the rise of streaming has led to “rushed, cheap production”, which has lost the spark of the genre in the ’90s.

The 35-year-old actor told The Daily Telegraph that classic romcoms like Love Actually were made in the pre-smartphone years – a “bygone era”.

He said: “It was kind of a simpler time, and maybe it’s more romantic.

“And there were some great people like Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron, who did some great things in the ’90s: When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, those are just great movies.

“Things move around, fashions change and when they’re done well, a good romcom can be great. I hope they come back.”

Brodie-Sangster said the decline in big-screen romantic comedies was partly due to studios investing money in action and superhero franchises like Marvel and DC, while romcoms underperformed in comparison.

“So (romcoms) are probably more reserved for streamers, and maybe that’s changed the budgets and the scale of what they can do. When the volume goes up, the quality may go up – not necessarily always go up – but may go down.”

The Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal, grossed approximately $108 million (£82 million) worldwide – well below the returns of hit films of the late 90s and early 2000s. Love Actually grossed over $245 million globally, while Notting Hill grossed approximately $364 million. In contrast, the superhero epic Avengers: Endgame made £2.8 billion in 2019.

Brodie-Sangster also said that the romcom scripts she receives are now “rushed”, because film and TV writers feel “they need to know what’s going on right now, otherwise the public is going to do something else”.

“They get the green light for a certain period of time. Then they have to send out whatever they get to get some attention. And often it’s not very good.”

Brodie-Sangster said she enjoyed the recognition she received for the role she played at the age of 13. “It feels good to be associated with Christmas,” he said. “It’s not something I get bored of. It’s something I’m very proud of and happy to be a part of.

“I mean, love never really grows old.”