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Love Actually star has had interesting 20 year career after playing disliked temptress Mia

Love Actually star has had interesting 20 year career after playing disliked temptress Mia

Do you remember this character?

It's been two decades since Love Actually hit our cinema screens and instantly became a Christmas classic in the hearts and minds of many.

Filled with a stacked cast of Britain's finest acting talent such as Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightly, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy and Chiwetel Ejiofor, it's easy to understand why the film was a hit.

It's even got Hugh Grant starring as the Prime Minister.

However a lot has changed in the 21 years since Love Actually, with some of the film's scenes aging pretty badly.

Jokes, plotlines and throw away comments, which seemed pretty innocent at the time are now considered inappropriate, fat shaming and sexist - something which writer and director Richard Curtis says he now regrets making.

Truly a product of its time.

One of the more cringe-inducing moments involves the plot story involving Harry (Rickman) and Karen's (Thompson) marriage being thrown into chaos by an affair.

We see Harry getting awfully close with his secretary Mia (Heike Makatsch), with the latter asking for present during their office Christmas party.

Karen eventually catches on that Harry's bought a very fancy gold necklace for that special someone for Christmas, and when she opens her present from her husband... it's a Joni Mitchell CD.

The character of Mia was not a popular one (Universal)
The character of Mia was not a popular one (Universal)

Crushed by the realisation that he's bought a gift for another woman, Karen confronts her husband and he admits what he'd been doing.

The couple stay together, however, their marriage at the end of the film doesn't appear to be a happy one.

Meanwhile, fans were left disliking seductress Mia for her antics, which again seems unfair considering that she's single and Harry is the one two-timing his wife.

But have you ever wondered what happened to the actor who played 'temptress Mia' after the film?

Heike Makatsch's life and career after Love Actually

Unlike Mia's recognisable brunette bob, Makatsch is actually blonde and has appeared in numerous films in her native Germany.

She has also had various roles in English-language films, most notably playing Liesel's mother in 2013 war drama, The Book Thief, 2005 sci-fi flick A Sound of Thunder and Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution alongside Catherine Tate and Iain Glen.

She also appeared in 2002's Resident Evil prior to landing a role in Love Actually and currently features in Apple TV+ series Where's Wanda?

The majority of Heike Makatsch's work has been in her native German (Tristar Media/Getty Images)
The majority of Heike Makatsch's work has been in her native German (Tristar Media/Getty Images)

Outside of acting, Makatsch had a seven year relationship with none other than 007 himself Daniel Craig, which ended in 2004.

Despite a long-running acting career, it would appear that Makatsch is still primarily known for her role as Mia in the English speaking world.

"Outside of Germany, people only know me through Love Actually or at least primarily through that film," she told Metro back in September.

"That’s where people see me as the secretary who destroys a marriage, and many women feel a sort of anger towards me because of that."

Featured Image Credit: Universal

Topics: Christmas, Film