Any look at the film's cast carries a profound note of sadness regarding Charlotte Coleman, who played Scarlet, Charles’s quirky, brightly dressed flatmate. Coleman's chaotic charm and effortless comic timing earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She seemed destined for a prolonged, exceptional screen career, appearing in cult comedies like How to Be a Little Sod and the acclaimed drama Beautiful People. On November 14, 2001, Coleman suffered a sudden, fatal bronchial asthma attack at her home in Holloway, North London, passing away at just thirty-one years old. Her family established the Charlotte Coleman Scholarship at the New London Performing Arts Centre to support young, underrepresented actors in her memory.
David Bower played David, Charles’s deaf younger brother. A deaf actor himself, Bower provided a refreshingly natural, witty performance free from Hollywood's typical sentimentality surrounding disability. Rather than chasing traditional screen stardom, Bower returned to the stage, serving as the artistic director of the Signdance Collective, an international touring company championing inclusive, physically driven dance and theater performances. Meanwhile, Anna Chancellor, who played the heartbroken Henrietta ("Duckface"), went on to build an accomplished career across British television, earning a BAFTA nomination for The Hour and starring in Pride and Prejudice, Spooks, and Pennyworth.
