Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who played the lovestruck teenager Sam in Richard Curtis’s 2003 festive film Love Actually, has lamented the state of modern romantic comedies, blaming the rise of streaming for what he sees as a decline in quality.
The 35-year-old actor told the Daily Telegraph that classic romcoms belonged to a “bygone era” made before smartphones, adding: “It was a kind of simpler time, and maybe that is more romantic.” He praised the work of directors such as Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron, singling out When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle as “brilliant films”.
Brodie-Sangster suggested that studios have prioritised action and superhero franchises from Marvel and DC, leaving romcoms to streaming platforms. “When the volume goes up, the quality can – not necessarily always does – but can go down,” he said. He also noted that scripts now feel “rushed”, as writers try to tap into the zeitgeist before audiences move on.
His remarks are supported by recent box office figures. Materialists, a romcom starring Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal released in August, took about $108m (£82m) worldwide, whereas Love Actually grossed more than $245m and Notting Hill (1999) earned nearly $364m. By contrast, Avengers: Endgame took $2.8bn in 2019.
Despite his criticism, Brodie-Sangster said he remains proud of his role in Love Actually, telling the paper: “It’s lovely to be associated with Christmas. It’s not something I get bored of. I mean, love doesn’t really go out of date.”
