Emma Thompson says Trump called to ask her out to dinner on day of her divorce: 'I thought it was a joke'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actress Emma Thompson has revealed that President Donald Trump once asked her out on a date on the same day her divorce was finalized.
The actress said the unexpected invitation came while she was filming the 1998 political drama 'Primary Colors.'
Donald Trump invited Emma Thompson to ‘one of his beautiful places’
The 66-year-old shared the story during a career Q&A at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, recalling an unexpected phone call from the president.
Thompson said she was in her trailer when the phone rang, and the voice on the other end introduced himself as Donald Trump
“I thought it was a joke. ‘Hi, it’s Donald Trump here,’” Emma Thompson recalled. “I said, ‘How can I help you?’ I thought he needed directions. He said: ‘I would love for you to stay in one of my beautiful places, and maybe we could have dinner.’”
“I said: ‘Well, that’s very sweet. Thank you so much. I’ll get back to you,’” Thompson revealed.
The unexpected phone call came after the president had separated from his second wife, Marla Maples, with whom he shares Tiffany Trump.
Emma Thompson says Trump has people looking for suitable matches
At the time, the 47th president had not yet ventured into politics and was instead focused on expanding his New York real estate empire. Emma Thompson, a member of the Labour Party who supported Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership bid in 2019, also speculated about Donald Trump’s motive.
“I bet he’s got people looking for suitable people he could take out on his arm. You know, a nice divorcee, that’s what he was looking for,” she said.
Emma Thompson says she could have changed 'course of American history'
In contrast, the 'Harry Potter' actress announced her split from Kenneth Branagh in 1995 and began a relationship with her co-star Greg Wise, whom she later married, after they met on the set of 'Sense and Sensibility.'
The revelation came during a Q&A about her career at the star-studded film festival, where Dame Emma joked that had she gone on a date with the Republican politician, she may have changed the course of American history.
“So yes, I could have gone on a date with Donald Trump. I could have changed the course of American history!”
Thompson, who picked up the Leopard Club Award at the fest, recently starred in Brian Kirk’s 'Dead of Winter.' “I nearly had an aneurism – I was so astonished and so happy,” she said.
