Olivia Olson from 'Love Actually' reemerges on 'X Factor Celebrity' 16 years later: How'd she do?

Gibson Johns
·2 min read

"Love Actually" is perhaps the most beloved holiday movie released in the 21st century and, while it's full of iconic scenes, there's one that gives us the feels more than all others.

You know the scene: It's the Christmas pageant that Sam has been preparing for the entire movie, learning the drums so that he can play in the show to impress his schoolboy crush Joanna, who brings down the house with her cover of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

SEE ALSO: Here's what the 'Love Actually' casts looks like then and now

While the memorable movie moment demonstrates the undeniable star power of Olivia Olson (who plays Joanna) at the young age of 10, her career never took off in the way that some may have suspected it would.

While she's popped up occasionally for the film's anniversaries, Olson has mostly stayed out of the public eye since "Love Actually" came out in 2003, but that's about to change. This year "The X Factor UK" is airing a celebrity edition of the singing competition, and Olson is one of the recognizable faces competing in the series (others include former "Glee" star Kevin McHale, Ricki Lake and Hayley Hasselhoff).

Now 27, the singer proved that she's ready to step back in the spotlight beyond uploading cover songs to YouTube. Her "X Factor Celebrity" audition aired over the weekend, and she opened up about her evolving mentality around "Love Actually" and pursuing a career in show business.

"Being so young I don't know if I fully felt the magnitude of what a huge movie I was a part of," she said of her 'Love Actually' fame before her performance. "I get the texts every Christmas: 'Guess what I'm watching!'"

"After I finished shooting the movie I came back home and tried to do the acting thing but my heart wasn't in it, so I quit. I've just been very far away from anyone watching me sing or doing my acting for quite some time," she added. "I'm ready for everyone to see Olivia Olson and hear me sing. I want to be an artist."

Olson then sang two songs, "Location" by Khalid and "Come Together" by the Beatles and, while she had a shaky start, it's clear that Olson hasn't lost the voice that thrust her into the spotlight over 15 years ago.

Judges Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh agreed, as Olivia Olson advanced to the next round of the competition.

Watch Olivia Olson's "X Factor Celebrity" audition below: