Zack Snyder has made the revelation that his favorite Christmas movie is Love Actually. Snyder is a director known for his stylized and sometimes dour approach to action filmmaking, most frequently applied to the superhero genre and comic book adaptations in general, in titles including Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Watchmen, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Love Actually is a very different sort of movie, presenting a variety of intertwining love stories set around Christmas with an ensemble cast that includes Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, and Keira Knightley.
The Hook recently sat down with Zack Snyder for an interview about his new Netflix sci-fi movie Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire. Because Rebel Moon is a Christmastime release, Snyder was asked about his favorite Christmas movie. Without hesitating, he named the 2003 movie Love Actually, saying that it is “is just the best Christmas movie, probably,” and praising the moment in Liam Neeson’s storyline where “everyone gets a little weepy.” Read his full quote and check out the full video below:
I mean, obviously Love Actually is my favorite Christmas movie because that is just the best Christmas movie, probably. [My favorite character?] I would say… the Liam Neeson storyline, only because the “let’s go get the s—t kicked out of us by love” moment is probably, you know… everyone gets a little weepy.
It Makes Sense That Zack Snyder Would Like Love Actually
While Snyder’s appreciation of the Christmas rom-com might come as a surprise, there are some intriguing parallels between the movie and the director’s work. In fact, several figures from Love Actually were instrumental in the director’s early career. His debut feature, 2004’s Dawn of the Dead, included five crew members from Love Actually, four in the music department and one from the visual effects department.
Snyder’s follow-up movie 300 brought on even more members of the music department and, tellingly, actor Rodrigo Santoro. In Love Actually, Santoro plays Karl, the creative director at the graphic design firm run by Harry (Alan Rickman), and the love interest of Sarah (Laura Linney). Snyder’s movie brought out an entirely different side of the actor, casting him as the villainous King Xerxes, who commands the armies that the titular 300 Spartans attempt to fight off over the course of the movie.
The Love Actually cast potentially influenced Snyder’s future work in an additional way. The rom-com followed an interlocking ensemble of characters, and a great many of Snyder’s own movies are ensemble-driven, including 300, Justice League, Army of the Dead, and even Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire. It’s possible that this particular storytelling method is one that the writer-director internalized after seeing the Christmas classic for the first time.
Love Actually
The 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually follows various couples as they explore their relationships throughout the Christmas season. With a star-studded cast composed of Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Rowan Atkinson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Freeman, and Martine McCutcheon, Love Actually has since become a Christmas staple for rom-com lovers.
- Release Date
- November 14, 2003
- Director
- Richard Curtis
- Cast
- Colin Firth , Emma Thompson , Liam Neeson , Keira Knightley , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Laura Linney , Alan Rickman , Hugh Grant , Bill Nighy , Andrew Lincoln
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 135 minutes
- Genres
- Comedy , Drama , Holiday , Romance
- Writers
- Richard Curtis
- Budget
- 45million
- Studio(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
