Fans of the beloved holiday favorite Love Actually rejoiced last week when it was announced that a mini-sequel of sorts was set to be filmed and released for Red Nose Day, a massive comedy event that raises money for charity. However, the excitement dampened slightly when director Richard Curtis revealed that Emma Thompson wouldn’t be joining the reunion. Many assumed her absence was due to her busy acting schedule. However, Thompson herself has now clarified that this isn’t the reason—she’s missing the reunion because of the recent death of Alan Rickman, who played her husband in the film.

“Richard wrote to me and said, ‘Darling, we can’t write anything for you because of Alan,’ and I said, ‘No, of course, it would be sad, too sad,’ ” Thompson told the Press Association. In the original film, Thompson and Rickman play a husband and wife whose relationship becomes strained after he starts flirting with his secretary. Curtis is both writing and directing the 10-minute reunion short.

“It’s too soon,” Thompson continued. “It’s absolutely right, because it’s supposed to be for Comic Relief, but there isn’t much comic relief in the loss of our dear friend, really, just over a year ago . . . We thought and thought [about it], but it just seemed wrong. It was absolutely the right decision.”

Rickman died of cancer last January at the age of 69. Thompson was one of the many actors who released a tribute to the actor after his passing, praising Rickman as “a rare and unique human being. . . we shall not see his like again.”

Though the Oscar-winning actress won’t be joining the reunion, Thompson has some idea of what her character would be found doing now: “I would be working on some kind of ward.”

Thus far, the other stars that really will re-unite in the short include Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln, and Colin Firth.