'The Queen's Gambit' Chess Boys on Their Heartthrob Moment

The former child star, who hasn't watched Love Actually all the way through since its premiere in 2003 (“I normally catch maybe 10 minutes every year if it pops on. It's on at least once or twice a year”), feels a difference when he's approached by fans now.

“I get recognized by little old ladies and 10-year-olds for Love Actually,” he says. “Male, female, everyone seems to watch that movie. It seems to be quite eclectic.” While he notes that The Queen's Gambit is similar in that sense, reactions to his “cocky, arrogant, hairy” chess champion have been “very relaxed, very chill” as opposed to “fan-y.”

“It's a bizarre thing to be in—and me and Harry have been in that arena for quite some time now,” Brodie-Sangster says. “It's very exciting to be approached on the street and to be given compliments and be recognized by random people from all over the world. But over time it can actually be kind of alienating when people come up to you and assume you're going to be a certain way. You can feel that you almost owe it to them to be that way.”

Melling, having been in lockdown in London since returning from filming a new project in the U.S., has yet to experience any in-person fan encounters, which he prefers. “I haven't yet reached the stage where I'm wearing caps and glasses,” he says, joking that mask-wearing mandates may be helping him keep a low profile. “I kind of hope I don't. I like the fact that I can move around London, and I'm not hassled too much.”

I get a sense as I speak to both actors that they have little interest in reliving the height of their respective fandoms. Given that Brodie-Sangster was just 13 when Love Actually debuted, he found it especially bewildering. “Going through teens—hormones and things—it can be kind of a confusing arena,” he shares. “The fun aspect of it has certainly worn off. It's a lovely thing, but it's certainly something to be wary of, and to protect yourself and your loved ones from.”