The Love Actually takes really are all around

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( December 03, 2022 [View in browser](   Girls Aloud’s cover of "Jump (For My Love)" must not be in vain. Love Actually bashing has become our annual festive sport, but I think it’s slightly unfair on this now cult twee classic of a Christmas film. I’ve written [this week’s State of the Arts column]( about why I’m bored of the relentlessly cynical reappraisals of Richard Curtis’s 2003 movie. Just let me drink Baileys and cry with Emma Thompson in peace! I’m not saying I think Love Actually is a good film, by the way. Another film I can’t categorically say is good is Netflix’s new Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [which I reviewed this week](. Although I didn't love it, I really enjoyed reading [Jack O'Connell's conversation with Annabel Nugent for our Saturday Interview](. He plays the gruff gamekeeper Mellors – and he says those no-holds-barred sex scenes are never easy. This week I can highly recommend Clint Dyer’s historic production of [Othello at the National Theatre](, which I was very impressed by. Get yourself a ticket: this is a Shakespeare that’s as original as it is gripping. I’m off to see Orlando today, and I can’t wait to see what Emma Corrin does with Virginia Woolf’s most radical protagonist. Neil Bartlett, who adapted it for the stage, has written for us about [why this is the perfect time to reacquaint ourselves with the novel](. I’ll be spending the rest of the weekend listening to Fleetwood Mac and raising a glass to [the wonder that was Christine McVie](. Until next time, Jessie [@jessiecath]( Tilda Swinton and Emma Corrin as Orlando, Virginia Woolf's most daring novel (Getty/Handout/Sony Pictures) This week I loved: Nicole Vassell [talking to Jessica Brown Findlay]( about the role that saved her. Helen Brown's [tribute to Christine McVie](. Jacob Stolworthy on why the success of Wednesday [might not be a good thing](. Michael Buble shaping Christmas [into his own silky image](. And... was the Meghan/Harry trailer release [a mic drop](? [The Saturday Interview – Jack O'Connell]( [Oscars image]( Jack O'Connell stars in 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' on Netflix (Getty) Jack O'Connell gets cast in a lot of tough guy roles, but he's clearly a total sweetie. Annabel Nugent sat down for a chat with him [for this week's Saturday Interview]( to talk about Lady Chatterley's Lover, his friendship with Stephen Graham, and how sometimes he just likes to be "f***ing boring". [Oscars image]( O'Connell and Emma Corrin in 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' (Netflix) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below… There aren’t many actors who would run starkers across a field for a Netflix film, but as O’Connell dutifully reminds me, this ain’t his first rodeo. In 2017, he bared all on stage opposite Sienna Miller in a West End production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Before that, he stripped off in Starred Up (2013). And of course, on Skins, his character was often caught with his trousers down. “Still, there’s always going to be nerves,” he says. “But listen, if it’s going to push the story forward then that’s that.” His ethos on choosing when and where to strip off is simple: “Words to the effect of, if it can’t be avoided, just crack on with it.” Is he at all concerned that those scenes will end up on some X-rated website out of context? “I guess so,” he exhales the cigarette smoke slowly so that it collects around his mouth. “But I’m not on social media so if something was out there, it wouldn’t necessarily be on my radar.” Ignorance is bliss, it seems. “But it would be unfortunate,” he concedes. He and Corrin worked together with Ita O’Brien, an intimacy coordinator. Two words unheard of when O’Connell was just a young lad getting his start as Cook, a randy, raucous teen on Skins. “My career definitely predates the intimacy coordinator age.” Last year, fellow Skins stars April Pearson and Laya Lewis, both of whom preceded O’Connell’s arrival in season three, have since said they didn’t feel protected on the show. Was he ever uncomfortable? “It’s hard to say that you’re ever totally comfortable [filming sex scenes]. Listen, I admit I was very naive at the time, enough so as to not check in with myself and question myself if I was feeling comfortable or not. It just felt like part and parcel of the programme in a very different time than the one we’re in now.” [Read the full interview here](   Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our [welcome offer when you join today](.   What to watch this weekend [Othello]( Clint Dyer is the first Black director to stage this play at the National Theatre, but that's not why his production feels seminal. It's full of vision and atmosphere, and [I reckon it'll be a classic](. [Zen Motoring]( You may have missed this BBC Three comedy, a meditative mixture of dashcam footage and ambient music - but it's worth catching up. Ahead of the next series, its star Ogmios will be showing fans some new footage and [speaking at the Barbican next week](. [The Flatshare]( This [TV adaptation]( of Beth O'Leary's cute romcom, with [Jessica Brown Findlay](, sounds like the perfect weekend watch. Also: is [telly finally catching up with the rental crisis](? The setting feels particularly relevant right now.   INDYBEST / [BEST BUYS]( Stranger Things and Quiksilver launch an Eighties-inspired collection that’s worn by the cast in season 4 As the second half of series four unfolds, inject some retro style into your wardrobe[Read more](       OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [Competitions and Offers] Competitions and Offers Every Friday, 1.30pm (UK time) Our free weekly pick of great prizes, deals and discounts direct to your inbox [Join now]( [Health Check] Health Check Every Thursday, 7am (UK time) Written by Rebecca Thomas [Join now]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's entertainment newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. 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