How Ed Sheeran Got 'Love Actually' Director Richard Curtis to Make His Festive 'Under the Tree' Music Video

12/11/2024 01:45 PM

In an interview with 'Variety,' the pop star also discussed his collaborations over the years with Curtis

Ed Sheeran teamed up with the ultimate rom-com director for his latest music video.

In an interview with Variety on Wednesday, Dec. 11, the pop star, 33, opened up about how Love Actually director Richard Curtis helped him make his music video for "Under the Tree."

Sheeran and Curtis, 68, have a longstanding history, which according to the publication, includes the "Shape of You" singer's first girlfriend babysitting his kids.

Together, they've collaborated on several projects over the years including Comic Relief and the 2017 film Yesterday.

Related: Ed Sheeran Reveals His Annual Christmas Eve Tradition and Favorite Holiday Song

When Curtis was working on his TV special That Christmas, which is now available on Netflix, he revealed to Sheeran that it would be a musical.

"He asked if I wanted to write the music for it, and I said, 'Cool,'" he said. "There was one scene, and I wrote a chorus for it, but didn't hear anything back.'"

After two years, the About Time filmmaker reached out to Sheeran, filling him in on the status of That Christmas and asking him to finish the song titled "Under the Tree."

While it was originally set to be an animated musical, That Christmas evolved into an animated feature based on Curtis' children's books.

With "Under the Tree," Sheeran wrote his first sad Christmas song.

"It's the one thing I've wanted to write," he said. "I'd never seen the need [to write] a sad Christmas song until writing this one…this is quite a lot of people's realities at Christmas."

After he handed over the song, Sheeran thought he was done, however, he explained that he would only do a music video for the track if Curtis would direct it, something he had never done before.

"I've felt that having him put his stamp on me doing a Christmas song would be kind of special to me," he said.

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Related: Ed Sheeran Says He Was 'Third Choice' for 'Yesterday' Role After These Musicians: They 'Said No'

According to Variety, Curtis envisioned the Sliding Doors-like story and had the idea for casting Bridgerton star Claudia Jessie.

"It was fun. We filmed it 10 minutes away from my house, and my mate's mum is an extra in it," Sheeran said.

Ultimately, Curtis hoped the video matched Sheeran's "gorgeous song."

"It's lyrically magical and it unlocks a critical moment in the film for us," he told the publication. "Suddenly you feel all these layered emotions that go beyond what is seen on screen and you are filled with longing and hope."

That Christmas was released on Dec. 4.