I had a minor part in Love Actually, I was only in it for 15 seconds but I still earn royalties every year

SNUGGLING up connected the sofa with his woman Emma, Junior Simpson settles down to ticker Love Actually for the thirtieth time.

But Junior, 61, isn’t conscionable a dice hard instrumentality - helium stars is successful the film and acknowledgment to its popularity helium has been raking successful the royalties since it archetypal deed the metallic surface backmost successful 2003. 

Junior had nary thought however large the movie would go erstwhile helium landed the relation of the DJ successful the wedding scene. Or that his fleeting 15-second quality would inactive beryllium earning him wealth from royalties 21 years later.

“Being successful the deed movie was a immense honour,” the histrion and comedian tells Fabulous successful this exclusive interview. 

“I had nary thought it would crook retired to beryllium specified a monolithic hit. 

“I inactive get recognised present – radical often travel up and inquire for selfies. 

“I’m gladsome I americium inactive astir to dispersed Love Actually joyousness this festive season.”

His quality dubbed ‘the world’s worst DJ’ appeared successful the Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter's (Chiwetel Ejiofor) wedding reception scene.

However, Junior, who lives successful South London, with vocalist Emma, 56, and their daughters aged 18 and five, didn't really audition for the part.

Junior was forty erstwhile helium unexpectedly got offered the relation successful the iconic Richard Curtis film.

He was moving arsenic a stand-up comedian astatine the Brixton Academy erstwhile helium made a gag astir the deficiency of diverseness successful Richard Curtis’s film, Notting Hill.

The remark opened the doorway for Junior due to the fact that Richard was successful the assemblage watching his set.

“That 1 liner caught Richard’s attention. It led to being offered the relation successful Love Actually,” Junior explains.

“I went for a work done astatine Richard Curtis’s bureau and was surrounded by each the stars. 

“Bill Nighy was incredible, each clip helium opened his mouth, helium was hilarious. 

“Acting with Keria Knightly and Chiwetel Ejiofor was large fun. We were scheduled to sprout for 3 days. We nailed it successful conscionable a fewer takes.

“The time we filmed everyone hoped the movie would bash well. None of america thought this small British movie would instrumentality the satellite by storm.” 

The movie was released successful November 2003 and outgo £30 cardinal to make. It was a container bureau sensation and grossed a staggering £194 million. 

A December 2023 Sun Poll revealed Love Actually was the nation's favourite Christmas flick watched by 39.2% - oregon 4 successful 10 - of america during the festive season.

It was followed by Home Alone which 18% of filmgoers emotion to ticker astatine Christmas followed by 11.1% who ticker Elf.

Referring to Love Actually being astatine the apical of the Christmas movie list, Junior says:

“That is jaw dropping. It’s impervious the communicative has thing which appeals to everyone."

While his quality successful the movie was brief, Junior is inactive making wealth from his cameo today.

“Even to this time I inactive get royalties - I person nary thought however overmuch astatine this constituent but not millions,” helium admits.

“The movie has taken connected caller value for maine due to the fact that it helped maine find emotion and that pistillate saved my life.”

Junior and Emma reckon their emotion communicative would beryllium worthy of a film. 

They archetypal met successful 2017 and had a fling that fizzled out. But past they matched connected a dating app successful 2020.

“She was surviving successful London, and I was surviving successful Birmingham,” Junior explains. 

“We lone met up a fewer times. But we spoke for hours connected the telephone and declared our emotion for each different connected Christmas time 2020.”

Towards the extremity of January Junior was feeling sick astatine enactment erstwhile Emma came to the rescue. 

He had covid and soon became highly unwell but it was Emma who saved his life.

“I went location and rang Emma and told her I was feeling poorly and would telephone her the adjacent day,” helium says.

“When I did not telephone aft 3 days she panicked – she knew I wouldn’t person ghosted her. 

“She drove to my level and recovered maine lying connected the floor, hardly breathing. 

“I had covid and had gone into a diabetic coma and was hours from death. 

“She woke maine up and I was convinced I had been dormant for a fewer hours - I’d beryllium retired for 3 days. I bash not retrieve overmuch aft that.”

Junior was rushed to infirmary and was connected a ventilator for a period and it was during his betterment erstwhile helium cemented his feelings for Emma. 

“Emma moved to beryllium with maine successful Birmingham and I projected to her implicit Christmas successful 2021, erstwhile I was again successful infirmary aft having a insignificant stroke,” helium recalls.

“It was a precise pugnacious time, but I’d spell done it each again doubly if it meant I inactive ended up with Emma.”

The mates joined successful May 2022 and present unrecorded unneurotic successful Streatham, South London.

Junior says Emma is besides a Love Actually 'superfan' and is truthful obsessed she's earned the nickname 'Auntie Claus', aft Santa's older sister successful the smash deed film.

“For a Christmas addict she’d ne'er watched Love Actually until she met me. Now it is simply a Christmas contented for us," Junior adds.

Junior began his vocation arsenic a comedian aft the tragic nonaccomplishment of his eldest brother, Calvin, who was killed successful a roadworthy mishap successful 1990 aged conscionable 31.

“He was my hero,” remembers Junior. 

“The idiosyncratic I looked up to, my northbound star.

"He was a fantastic histrion and encouraged maine to instrumentality up drama arsenic I was perpetually cracking jokes astir the house. 

“But I felt that 1 performer successful the household was enough. When helium died, doing what helium had wanted for maine was my mode of celebrating and remembering him. 

“Laughter is simply a large merchandise from unit and creating that successful a country afloat of strangers who each link implicit the aforesaid happening is an astonishing feeling.”

This Christmas marks 5 years since Junior’s brushwood with death, and helium says watching his favourite movie helps sphere his joie de vivre. 

Whilst helium inactive has a agelong mode to spell to making a afloat betterment helium plans to instrumentality to the drama circuit adjacent year.

“I americium 60 per cent recovered; I had to larn to locomotion decently again aft the stroke. It has taken months of rehabilitation,” helium says.

“I americium moving connected caller worldly and readying to deed the drama circuit adjacent year. Emma’s appearing successful the drama The Bavarian Boyz Oompah Show.”

He adds: “Watching Love Actually reminds maine however fortunate I americium to beryllium alive.”