Love Actually star Thomas Brodie-Sangster, 34, recalls being ‘bullied’ by kids who were ‘jealous’ for his famous role as he admits feeling ‘old’ when he’s remembered for his early films

Thomas Brodie-Sangster has revealed he used to be ‘bullied’ for his role in the much-loved 2003 rom-com Love Actually.

The actor, now 34, shot to fame playing baby-faced lovelorn drummer Sam, the step-son of Liam Neeson’s character who declares his love for his school crush Joanna.

But while the role opened many doors for Thomas, with the actor going on to bag roles in Nanny McPhee and Nowhere Boy, he recalled the downside that his newfound fame brought.

In a new interview with The TelegraphThomas reflected on how other children who attended the same drama academy reacted to his fame and constant time off due to his blossoming career.

He explained: ‘(The other pupils) would all ask where I’d been, and get a little jealous I got that much time off school. But I always told myself it was good to go back to school to hang around kids my own age.

‘People tried to pick on me but I don’t think I cared enough. They would try to bully me for being in a film. But that was my job! I liked doing that! So what was their point? Eventually I kind of made friends with them and they saw that I was all right.’

Despite going on to have a rather successful acting career, starring in an array of serious and interesting roles in projects including Game Of Thrones, The Queen’s Gambit and The Maze Runner, Thomas is still mostly recognized for his parts played in his youth.

During his interview, he’s asked to take a photo with a fan who recalls his part as Simon in 2005’s Nanny McPhee, the eldest child of the unruly Brown siblings.

And while he doesn’t mind the attention, Thomas admits he feels ‘old’ when he remembered for a part he played almost two decades ago.

It’s really cool. Mothers or, like, big dudes will come up and say, “I loved Nanny McPhee as a kid!” and now they’re grown-up. It does make you feel a little old, but it’s nice. It’s like Love Actually, everyone loves it, it’s not controversial. It’s an honor, really, to be in movies that have stood the test of time.’

It is ironic that the actor refers to himself as ‘old’, seeing as it is constantly pointed out to him that he looks ridiculously young for his age.

Indeed the fresh-faced thespian, who’s barely aged since soaring to fame back in 2003 is used to it, noting he ‘gets that a lot’, with people especially dumbfounded when he points out just how long ago Love Actually was.

These days, however, Thomas is very much grown up, with a role in the TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and the companion of his loving wife Talulah Riley, 38, whom he married earlier this year.

Thomas and Talulah enjoyed a wedding fit for a fairytale back in June, complete with a horse-drawn carriage and fairground rides.

The couple, who were married at St George’s Church in Anstey, Hertfordshire, even made sure to share their day with their pet pooch, who was assigned the task of ring bearer during the nuptials, an insider reported.

Actress Talulah and the Love Actually star met on the set of Disney+ Sex Pistols drama Pistol in March 2021, and announced their engagement last year.

In photos obtained by The Sun the bride looked elegant in a satin A-line gown with a fitted bustier and bow on the stripped.

An onlooker told the publication of the nuptials:The horse was a bridesmaid and I think he arranged it as a surprise. She looked happy when she saw it.

‘There was a dog who was part of the wedding party, with a box and ribbon on its back, so I think it was the couple’s ring bearer.

‘In the fields across from their home, there were several marquees with fairground rides, including a merry-go-round and helter skelter.’