Dame Emma Thompson has revealed that Donald Trump once phoned her to ask her on a date, on the same day her divorce from Kenneth Branagh was finalised. The actor recounted the story while receiving the Leopard Club award at the Locarno film festival in Switzerland.
Thompson said she was filming the political satire Primary Colors in 1998 when she received a call from Trump. "He said: 'Hello, this is Donald Trump.' I thought it was a joke and asked: 'How can I help you?'" She recalled that Trump invited her to stay at one of his properties and possibly have dinner, to which she replied: "That's very sweet. I'll get back to you."
Only later did Thompson realise the significance: "My divorce decree had come through that day. I bet he's got people looking for a nice divorcee to take out on his arm." She joked that Trump must have found her number in her trailer, adding: "That's stalking."
A lifelong Labour supporter and environmental activist, Thompson quipped that accepting the date could have changed history: "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 also reflected on her role in Love Actually, expressing astonishment at the film's enduring popularity. She suggested the scene where her character discovers her husband's infidelity resonated because "when we get a heartbreak, especially women, we have to hide it."
