Emma Thompson finally gave her two cents about the “Love Actually” sequel — and revealed what her character is doing today

When we all heard earlier this month that Emma Thompson would not be returning for the Love Actually Red Nose Day sequel alongside Liam Neeson, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, and so many more, we all pretty much figured it was because of Alan Rickman.

Rickman and Thompson — who of course, also starred together in the Harry Potter movies — were very close friends in real life, and when he died from cancer at the age of 69 last year, she grieved very publicly.

So of course we’re not surprised to hear that, when Thompson finally spoke publicly about the sequel this week, her words revolved around Rickman.

“Richard [Curtis, the director] wrote to me and said ‘darling we can’t write anything for you because of Alan,’” Thompson said. “And I said ‘no of course, it would be sad, too sad.’

It's too soon. It's absolutely right because it's supposed to be for Comic Relief, but there isn't much comic relief in the loss of our dear friend really, only just over a year ago."

Red Nose Day, for fellow Yanks who aren’t familiar, often features celebrities doing silly sketches — like Game of Thrones the Musical, for example — to raise money for various children’s charities. So Thompson is correct to assume that Red Nose Day Actually will be a lighthearted affair, and not necessarily the appropriate venue for grieving a recent death.

“We thought and thought but it just seemed wrong but to revisit the wonderful fun characters of Bill Nighy and Hugh Grant and Liam [Neeson] and all of that,” Thompson continued. “That’s fantastic, but obviously, what would [Curtis] have done?”

However, even though Thompson won’t be appearing in the project, she did give Love Actually fans a little gift in the form of what she thinks her character, Karen, would be doing today.

“Both of them would be in therapy by now, and I would be working on some kind of ward,” she concluded. “[Not doing the sequel] was absolutely the right decision.”