Emma Thompson, while attending the Locarno Film Festival, discussed her career, love life, and a surprising call from Donald Trump that she claimed could have changed the face of American politics if she’d said yes. The Harry Potter star also addressed the Monica Lewinsky scandal during the Primary Colors shooting. The actor was joined by a star-studded list, including Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow, Andy García, and Adrien Brody, on Friday evening for the Leopard Club Award.
Emma Thompson says Trump asked her out
Just days after Salma Hayek revealed Trump once asked her out while she was still with her boyfriend, Emma Thompson says she got a similar call from the now-president. According to The Telegraph, it happened the very same day her divorce from Kenneth Branagh was finalised in court. The 66-year-old, who received the Leopard Club Award on Aug. 8, recalled filming the 1998 political satire Primary Colors when, sitting in her van, the phone rang. “Hello, this is Donald Trump,” the voice said. Thinking it was a prank, Thompson replied, “‘How can I help you?’ Maybe he needed directions from someone.” Then the voice said, “I’d love you to come and stay at one of my beautiful places. Maybe we could have dinner.” Without jumping on the offer, Thompson politely replied, “That’s very sweet. Thank you so much. I’ll get back to you.”
Later, Thompson realised it was actually Donald Trump, who had just split from his first wife, Marla Maples, and his team might have been on the hunt to find a suitable partner for him to take out. “I bet he had people searching for suitable women,” she said, before adding, “You know, a nice divorcée, that’s what he was looking for.” She added, “He even found the number for my trailer! That’s stalking.” Thompson laughed about what could have happened if she’d said yes. “I could have gone on a date with Donald Trump. I could have changed the course of American history!”
Thompson recalled how, while she was filming Primary Colors, the Monica Lewinsky scandal blew up, the one that led to Bill Clinton’s impeachment. For her, it was strange because the movie’s plot was so close to what was happening in real life. Speaking about U.S. politics, she joked that it would be nice if the only problem these days was just a sex scandal, instead of everything else going on. Thompson and her ex-husband Branagh met in 1987, fell in love while filming Fortunes of War, and tied the knot two years later. They divorced in 1995 after Branagh’s affair with Helena Bonham Carter. Years later, Thompson married actor Greg Wise in 2003.
Thompson’s work in Harry Potter is well known, but she doesn’t consider it her best creative gig. “This is not really an important part of my creative endeavour,” she said. According to her, she only came to shoot for a few days and wasn’t actually part of the core production unit. “I’m really sorry. I don’t mean to be rude to those of you who like Harry Potter, but you know, I really came in, did a bit with glasses and hair, and then left, having been quite well paid.” She added, “I’m very grateful to them.”
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During her festival appearance, Thompson also addressed her long Hollywood career, from her start as a comedian making jokes about politics to award-winning turns in films like Howards End, The Remains of the Day, Sense and Sensibility, and Love Actually.
