Heike Makatsch looks worlds apart from her Love Actually days, two decades on from the festive favourite. The German star is now tackling a compelling new part in Apple’s first German-language production.

Best remembered for her 2003 breakthrough as Mia, the alluring secretary who caught the eye of Alan Rickman’s character in Love Actually, she’s now immersed in the darkly comic thriller Where’s Wanda?

Launching on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, 2 October, 2024, the series follows Dedo and Carlotta Klatt, portrayed by Axel Stein and Heike, as they desperately hunt for their vanished daughter Wanda, played by Lea Drinda. When official channels fail to deliver results, the family takes matters into their own hands in their search for their missing 17 year old.

They launch an intensive investigation into their neighbourhood, deploying surveillance equipment to watch possible suspects throughout the ten-episode run.

The years have transformed Heike from her Love Actually persona as the “office tart” who notoriously pursued her boss Harry, ultimately shattering his wife Karen’s heart, whilst sporting brunette locks. Now entering the realm of gripping drama, she sports a strikingly different look that bears little resemblance to her Love Actually character, reports the Mirror.

In the beloved film, the seductress sported a striking short, choppy black bob, but now, aged 53, she’s virtually unidentifiable with her cascading blonde hair, making it difficult for many to link her to the Love Actually actress. Heike embodied what some consider the most despised character in the 2003 favourite, though the film deliberately avoids confirming whether Harry, brought to life by Alan Rickman, actually cheated on his wife Karen with the captivating workplace temptress.

Nevertheless, the narrative left audiences simultaneously furious and devastated.

As the film reaches its emotional peak, Karen, played by Emma Thompson, finds a necklace tucked in Harry’s coat pocket and assumes it’s intended for her. The suspected betrayal becomes apparent when she opens her Christmas present to find a Joni Mitchell CD rather than the anticipated jewellery.

Subsequently, viewers witness Mia barely clothed, arrogantly wearing the very necklace Karen had previously discovered. While many clung to the possibility that nothing physical transpired, script editor Emma Freud ultimately revealed that an affair had taken place.

A particularly memorable scene features Mia, portrayed by Makatsch, appearing at a Christmas celebration in a skimpy outfit complete with devil horns, deliberately attempting to seduce Harry. Following Henry’s gift of a locket, she suggestively declares: “I don’t want something I need. I want something pretty.”

Beyond her memorable portrayal of Mia in Love Actually, Heike has graced the silver screen in acclaimed films like Resident Evil (2002) and The Book Thief (2013).

After her iconic role, she continued to make her mark in a variety of German films and television programmes.

She was notably involved with James Bond star Daniel Craig for seven years, having met during the filming of the romantic drama Obsession.

Following their separation in 2004, Heike entered a relationship with Max Martin Schroder, a musician from a German indie band, and they now share two children.

Love Actually is available to stream on Netflix.