Friday, February 21, 2014

EMMA THOMPSON



What is special about this woman?
 
She's 54, a name, a face that I recognize, and a star. Whenever I see Emma Thompson in a film, the role she's playing always seems very real: I find myself thinking, "That's really her!"

Actually, what stays with me after I've seen one of her films isn't Emma T. the actress -- it's a sense of the story, the film itself.

Maybe that's why Emma Thompson has gotten to play so many interesting, important roles in award-winning films.

She has won all the major, prestigious awards for roles she's played and for her screenplays. Emma Thompson is the only person who has ever gotten Oscars for writing and acting. Everything this woman tackles seem to work. I'd fill this page if I listed all her credits here, but I remember her in "Howards End" on television, and the film, "Remains of the Day," and I enjoyed "Sense and Sensibility." She wrote the screenplay for it, and worked as a writer on the Harry Potter film series, "Much Ado About Nothing," "Angels in America," "Men in Black 3," and was the star and writer for the hit film, "Nanny McPhee." Also, while married to actor- director Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson garnered more top awards as a stage actress.

What's interesting to me is that I can't rave about any scene in any of her films that thrilled me, or stays in my mind -- or describe her special anything -- like her glow, concentration, exceptional intensity, or her beauty.

In "Saving Mr. Banks," that opened this past December, in which she co-stars with Tom Hanks (as Walt Disney), Thompson plays the somewhat prissy, sixty-something woman who authored "Mary Poppins."

Emma Thompson told a reviewer for Britain's Sunday Times, "I never gave much thought to my appearance." She went on to say that she's refused cosmetic surgery, and Botox -- "I have many vile qualities, but vanity isn't one of them," and explained that after spending a few years at home with her two kids, she decided to re-focus her career and told her agent, "see what's out there." All that came in were parts for older women. "My friends said, do a couple of photo shoots, and have them retouched. I was shocked by how old I looked in the movie."

Time Magazine's interviewer quizzed her about her lovers, (Emma T. said she had quite a few), and how it felt being nanny, or an older woman, and Emma replied, "You have to be able to look at yourself, and say the harsh things, talk straight to your image -- be what you really are."

Wow -- to be, or not to be, a famous, well-known actress, and be what you are!

That's a question for each of us, no matter how old or good-looking or viable, we are.

Be what you are.

I think this is one of the reasons Emma Thompson is such an extraordinary, uniquely interesting artist.

Click --lsten to Emma  being what she is, as she's answering very personal questions Time Magazine Reporter Belinda Luscombe asks.

5 comments:

Carola said...

I really like her. One of her most memorable roles is from Primary Colors where she played Hillary Clinton.

Linda Phillips said...

I too love Emma Thompson. My very favorite Thompson vehicle was "Wit". If you love her, it's a must see. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243664/ Her performance in "Wit" is just beyond wonderful.

I think she looks more gorgeous now than ever. In that clip you posted, her age lines give her far more beauty and character than she ever had before. I'm so glad that she hasn't joined the cosmetic surgery crowd. So many of them look far worse after their facelifts, than they did before them. I love her the way that she is now . Frankly, I think it might even help her career and not hinder it.

Was it on this year's Golden Globes that she came on stage barefoot, shoes in hand? I absolutely loved her for that. It was just adorable and so real and natural. Her feet were obviously killing her and she just ran with it (no pun intended!).

Cara said...

I love Emma Thompson, and I CAN think of a scene with her that sticks in my mind: the moment in Sense and Sensibility when she finally bursts into tears after two hours of stoicism. It always makes me laugh and cry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88_tyulOQDE . I also love the moment in Stranger than Fiction when Thompson, who plays a writer struggling with writer's block, goes to a hospital and asks a nurse: “Excuse me, where are the dying people? Most of these people are sick or injured - which is great, don’t get me wrong - but they’re going to get better which doesn’t really help me, see.” Of course a screenwriter wrote the great lines, but Thompson dives into it with such hilarious darkness, not a care in the world for how she looks or how sociopathic she sounds. You can see that one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjsQ04Ad5BA

Anonymous said...

Lots of wisdom shared in this blog by both you Em and Emma Thompson. Love and Hugs, Heather xxxooo

Anonymous said...

Just one more thing about Emma Thompson she's a playful person, genuine and appears to be fun spirited. a I agree with what you've identified about her when watching one of her create a character in films. Actors that can do this are magical and make it all look so easy. Love and hugs, Heather xxxooo