diff --git a/core/modules/file/file.module b/core/modules/file/file.module
index 03e69c62b88a..d13fedf92d65 100644
--- a/core/modules/file/file.module
+++ b/core/modules/file/file.module
@@ -1443,7 +1443,7 @@ function template_preprocess_file_managed_file(&$variables) {
  *
  * @param array $variables
  *   An associative array containing:
- *   - file: A file object to which the link will be created.
+ *   - file: A File entity to which the link will be created.
  *   - icon_directory: (optional) A path to a directory of icons to be used for
  *     files. Defaults to the value of the "icon.directory" variable.
  *   - description: A description to be displayed instead of the filename.
@@ -1453,13 +1453,12 @@ function template_preprocess_file_link(&$variables) {
   $file = $variables['file'];
   $options = [];
 
-  $file_entity = ($file instanceof File) ? $file : File::load($file->fid);
   // @todo Wrap in file_url_transform_relative(). This is currently
   // impossible. As a work-around, we currently add the 'url.site' cache context
   // to ensure different file URLs are generated for different sites in a
   // multisite setup, including HTTP and HTTPS versions of the same site.
   // Fix in https://www.drupal.org/node/2646744.
-  $url = $file_entity->createFileUrl(FALSE);
+  $url = $file->createFileUrl(FALSE);
   $variables['#cache']['contexts'][] = 'url.site';
 
   $mime_type = $file->getMimeType();
@@ -1469,11 +1468,11 @@ function template_preprocess_file_link(&$variables) {
 
   // Use the description as the link text if available.
   if (empty($variables['description'])) {
-    $link_text = $file_entity->getFilename();
+    $link_text = $file->getFilename();
   }
   else {
     $link_text = $variables['description'];
-    $options['attributes']['title'] = $file_entity->getFilename();
+    $options['attributes']['title'] = $file->getFilename();
   }
 
   // Classes to add to the file field for icons.