British actress Emma Thompson recounted the surprising call she got from Donald Trump while filming the 1998 dramedy ‘Primary Colors’.
Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson has joked about Donald Trump “stalking” her after the now-US president called her to ask her on a date the very same day her divorce was finalised. The 66-year-old British actress said she could have “changed the course of American history,” had she accepted his offer.
Speaking at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland on August 8, where she received the Leopard Club Award for her career achievements, Ms Thompson recounted the surprising call she got from Trump while filming the 1998 dramedy ‘Primary Colors’.
Donald Trump asked out Emma Thompson
Just days after Salma Hayek revealed Donald Trump once asked her out while she was still with her boyfriend, she 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 August 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,she 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 further said, “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.
Emma Thompson reveals she turned down a date with Trump in 1998. "I wish I had [accepted]. Think of the stories!" https://t.co/1rPgBItZqI pic.twitter.com/PIoGDSvoPD
— ABC News (@ABC) March 24, 2017
she and her ex-husband Kenneth 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.”
During her festival appearance, Emma 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.
Emma could have changed American history!
The actress described her response at the time as polite but non-committal: “That’s very sweet. I’ll get back to you.” She then learned that Trump, who had recently split from his second wife Marla Maples, may have been searching for a “suitable” date.
“I realised that on that day, my divorce decree had come through. And I bet he’s got people looking for suitable people he could take out on his arm. You know, a nice divorcée, that’s what he was looking for,” she said. “And he found the number in my trailer. I mean, that’s stalking.” Reflecting on the moment, Thompson mused, “I could have gone on a date with Donald Trump, and then I would have a story to tell. I could have changed the course of American history.”
Thompson is now married to actor Greg Wise, with whom she shares two children. Trump later married Melania.
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