Emma Thompson revealed that President Donald Trump once asked her out on a date.
The actor opened up about the experience while appearing at the Locarno film festival in Switzerland, where she received the Leopard Club award for career achievement.
At the time, Thompson was filming "Primary Colors" in 1998 and was in her trailer when she got the call.
"It was Donald Trump," she told the audience, according to The Guardian.
"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."
Thompson could not anticipate that Trump was about to extend an invitation to dinner.
"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.
The actor had just finalized her divorce from Kenneth Branagh, while Trump had recently split from his second wife, Marla Maples. Reflecting on the timing, Thompson joked that Trump had been "stalking" her.
"I realized 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 said. "And he found the number in my trailer. I mean, that's stalking."
Thompson, known for her lifelong support of Labour and her public endorsements of Jeremy Corbyn during the 2017 and 2019 elections, is a prominent environmental advocate who has also championed refugee and women's rights.
She jokingly commented that accepting Trump's offer might have changed the course of geopolitics.
"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 previously spoke about the ordeal during an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" in 2017, when she spoke to the host about Trump's invitation, according to CNN.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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