Emma Thompson recently shared a story about an unexpected phone call she received from Donald Trump in 1998, the same day her divorce from Kenneth Branagh was finalized. Speaking at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, where she received the Leopard Club Award for her career achievements, Thompson recounted the surprising proposition and joked about how accepting it "could have changed the course of American history".
Thompson was in her trailer filming "Primary Colors," a political satire loosely based on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, when the phone rang. To her surprise, the caller identified himself as Donald Trump. "I thought it was a joke," Thompson said, "and asked, 'How can I help you? Maybe he needed directions from someone'". Trump then invited her to "come and stay at one of my beautiful places. Maybe we could have dinner".
The actress, who "only associated Trump with tasteless architecture at that point," wasn't enthused. She responded, "Well, that's very sweet. Thank you so much. I'll get back to you". Only later did she realize the significance of the timing. "I realized that on that day, my divorce decree had come through," Thompson noted.
At the time, Trump had also recently separated from his second wife, Marla Maples. Thompson joked, "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 added, "And he found the number in my trailer. I mean, that's stalking".
Reflecting on the incident, Thompson, a vocal activist and supporter of the UK Labour party, quipped about the potential geopolitical ramifications had she accepted Trump's offer. "I could have gone on a date with Donald Trump, and then I would have a story to tell," she said. "I could have changed the course of American history".
Thompson has shared this anecdote on previous occasions, including a 2017 appearance on Swedish television. On that occasion, the host joked, "You could be the First Lady. You could have stopped him!". Thompson responded that she had never met Trump in person.
Thompson's divorce from Kenneth Branagh, whom she married in 1989, was finalized in 1995. She has been married to Greg Wise since 2003, whom she met while filming "Sense and Sensibility" in 1995. Trump went on to marry Melania Trump in 2005.
The actress also spoke at the Locarno Film Festival about her role in the film "Love Actually". She commented on the scene where her character discovers her partner's infidelity, suggesting it "touched a nerve because [when] we get a heartbreak, especially women, we have to hide it because we don't want people to see it".
