2003's Love Actually is one of the most beloved Christmas classics to watch during the holiday season because of its incredible ensemble cast of characters. Despite having so many moving parts, director Richard Curtis deftly weaves the triumphs and trials of every person's story into a loving and complex tableau. For a typical rom-com it eschews many of the genre's tropes, and manages to make even the most morally ambiguous characters have endearing qualities.
While boasting the charming personalities and performances of Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, and the incomparable Bill Nighy, its main characters are also complicated and flawed, which only serves to make them even more likable — but who ranks the most?
Harry
The late, great Alan Rickman played a lot of villains in his illustrious career, but even his most diabolical characters possessed some element of humanity which endeared him to fans. While it's difficult for fans to find ways to relate to Harry, who strays from his marriage because of an exciting romantic encounter with his secretary, Rickman doesn't portray him as a two-dimensional villain twirling his mustache, and it's hard to hate him.
Harry finds himself bored with his job, his home life, and himself. He's susceptible to a "mid-life crisis," and while fans eagerly wait for Harry to make better choices, he lets them down at every opportunity. So much so, that they completely empathize with his wife (Emma Thompson, one of Rickman's oldest friends), which in some ways is the gift of Rickman's performance.
Mark
Putting aside the fact that Mark is in love with his best friend's wife, and his methods of revealing his feelings for her are a bit questionable, he still manages to make one of the most memorable scenes in the entire movie. The poster board method is still used today by people conveying huge moments in their lives all over the internet.
Before he was a sheriff fighting zombies on The Walking Dead, Andrew Lincoln's Mark was processing his feelings in the only way he knew how, and though they did get him a kiss from Keira Knightley's Juliet, he put her in a supremely awkward position.
David
England couldn't ask for a better Prime Minister than David, who is willing to stand up for his country in the face of adversity and stay true to its ideals even in the presence of a powerful foreign leader. Plus, Richard Curtis chose his long collaborator and rom-com king Hugh Grant for the role, who manages to make the Prime Minister much less stuffy than the position requires.
Unfortunately, David can't seem to muster the same courage when it comes to love and transfers Natalie from her position as his secretary simply because he has feelings for her. He redeems himself in viewers' eyes by participating in a delightful dance sequence, which fires him up to go win back the one who got away.
Jamie
After his girlfriend cheats on him with his brother, no less, Jamie embodies the true meaning of the Brits' "stiff upper lip" and absconds to the South of where he can concentrate on his writing in peace. His solitude is interrupted by Aurelia, his shy Portuguese housekeeper, who manages to steal his heart without speaking a word of English.
Still nursing a broken heart, he nevertheless pledges to learn her language and take a chance on love. Watching Colin Firth clumsily serenade Aurelia in her family's restaurant in broken Portuguese, only to find out Aurelia has learned English, is both awkward and absolutely heartwarming.
Natalie
Despite having more experience at 10 Downing than the newly elected Prime Minister himself, Natalie gets shortchanged around the workplace because of her appearance, which only endears her more to fans. After all, who doesn't love an underdog?
Natalie shouldn't have to constantly prove she's worthy of her position to ward off body-shaming, but she handles all the criticism with a cherubic smile and killer sense of style. In the end, her positivity wins out, and she gets everything she wants for Christmas — including the Prime Minister.
Daniel
Liam Neeson might be known for Taken, but in Love Actually, he plays the extremely affable Daniel, whose wife's ing nearly robs him of the Christmas spirit.
Daniel can't let himself succumb to the numbness of grief, however, because he has a stepson who is struggling just as much, and their adorable bond becomes the heart and soul of the movie. It's clear that Daniel needs an adventure with a big payoff just as much as his stepson, and when Sam finally starts calling him "Dad," it's better than any gift under the tree.
Sarah
Laura Linney is as sweet as a sugarplum playing Sarah, an employee at Harry's publishing house with a crush on Karl, the handsome new hire. Opportunities for her to advance her romantic life are limited because of her brother, whose health needs fall on her to look after since the death of their parents.
Sarah must balance her relationship with her brother with finding a relationship herself and maintaining some semblance of a dwindling social life. When she and Karl finally go home together, fans find themselves dancing right along with her, relieved that all her efforts will finally pay off.
Karen
Emma Thompson — a two-time Academy Award winner — gives a career-defining performance as Karen, Harry's long-suffering wife, bringing a quiet strength and dignity to anchor the movie. She suspects her husband is cheating on her, but she holds out hope he'll give her a reason to believe in his integrity.
When it's clear he's given a beautiful necklace to his secretary, Karen steps into her room to listen to her Joni Mitchell CD alone, and viewers feel her heart breaking. She nevertheless puts her emotional needs second to the enjoyment of her children at Christmas, conveying the powerful meaning of sacrifice during the holidays.
Sam
If he didn't have one of the most compelling stories in the entire ensemble, Sam could have been a tedious person to focus on, but thanks to the delightful acting by Thomas Brodie-Sangster. he's not only irresistibly cute but also complicated for a 13-year-old.
While Sam processes the grief of losing his mother, he gains an important bond with his step-dad, and Daniel encourages him to go all-in for his secret crush. This results in one of the most exhilarating finales in any holiday movie, and fans find themselves compulsively rooting for Sam as he runs through Heathrow airport after his lady love.
Billy Mack
The irrepressible Bill Nighy once again creates a masterful character in the eccentric and outrageous Billy Mack, an aging rocker with an unexpected Christmas hit on the UK radio. "Christmas Is All Around" becomes the background soundtrack for the movie, and Billy steals every scene he's in with his sparkling wit, sharp candor, and extremely quotable one-liners.
While he relishes the renewed fame and success, he realizes he can't forget true friends, like his manager Joe, who's been there with him since the beginning of his career. They represent one of the few stories of platonic love in the movie, but it's no less poignant and meaningful.
