Dame Emma Thompson has revealed that Donald Trump once asked her out to dinner on the very day she finalised her divorce from actor Kenneth Branagh. The 66-year-old actress shared the anecdote while speaking at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
Thompson was filming the 1998 political satire Primary Colors, loosely based on Bill Clinton's rise to the White House, when she received a call in her trailer. 'It was Donald Trump,' she recalled. '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.'
Trump invited her to stay at one of his properties and suggested dinner. Thompson replied: 'Well, that's very sweet. Thank you so much. I'll get back to you.' She later realised the call coincided with her divorce decree coming through, speculating that Trump's team sought out 'a nice divorcee' for him to date. She described his ability to obtain her trailer number as 'stalking.'
At the time, Thompson had already begun dating her Sense and Sensibility co-star Greg Wise, whom she later married. A lifelong Labour supporter and environmental activist, she joked that she 'could have changed the course of American history' had she accepted the date.
During the Q&A, Thompson also expressed surprise at the enduring success of the 2003 rom-com Love Actually, calling it 'a constant source of astonishment' and noting that it 'touched a nerve because we get a heartbreak, especially women, and we have to hide it.'
