Actress Emma Thompson said she missed an opportunity to change “the course of American history” after her divorce from Kenneth Branagh.
The “Sense and Sensibility” star says President Donald Trump called her to ask her out on a date, while she was on the set of the 1998 film “Primary Colors.” Speaking to an audience at the Locarno film festival in Switzerland on Saturday, Thompson said the then-real estate magnate called her on the day her divorce from Branagh was finalized.
“He said: ‘Hello, this is Donald Trump.’ I thought it was a joke and asked: ‘How can I help you? Maybe he needed directions from someone,” she said. “Then he said: ‘I’d love you to come and stay at one of my beautiful places. Maybe we could have dinner.’ I said: ‘Well, that’s very sweet. Thank you so much. I’ll get back to you.’”
Thompson said she was shocked Trump was able to get her direct line.
“He found the number in my trailer,” she said. “I mean, that’s stalking.”
The actress added that she didn’t clock the timing of the phone call until later.
“My divorce decree had come through that day,” she said. “I bet he’s got people looking for a nice divorcee to take out on his arm.”
Thompson has long been an outspoken progressive, supporting Labour Party candidates and environmental causes. The BAFTA winner has also spoken out repeatedly on sexism in her industry and in politics. She donated the equivalent of $67,000 to the Active Collective, a support fund for women hoping to enter the political fray.
“Our political system was built for men who – generally – had women to do everything else for them – caring for the elderly and the infirm, sustaining the domestic environment and all the endless and unpaid work that that entails,” Thompson said in 2020. “We need women from all backgrounds and experiences to get elected in order to make the system work for most people and not just a few.”
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