Emma Thompson Reveals Why She Threatened To Quit A Film

emma-thompson
emma-thompson
(Image credit: Rex Features)

We all know that Hollywood can be more than a little controversial in its views on the way women look. But Emma Thompson has revealed just how terrible the problem of anorexia in the industry really is, after stating that she even threatened to walk off the set of a film after her co-star was told to lose weight.

Speaking on the Swedish talk show Skavlan, the actress even went as far as to call the entertainment industry in Los Angeles "evil".

So what happened? Emma explained, "There was a wonderful actress in a film I did called Brideshead Revisited and the producer said to her, 'Would you lose some weight?'"

But Emma was quick to jump the defence of the actress, and said, "She was exquisite and I said to them, "If you speak to her about this again on any level I will leave this picture. You are never to do that."

The actress could have been referring to a number of her co-stars in the 2008 film, as actresses Felicity Jones, Hayley Atwell and Greta Scacchi also appeared alongside her in the movie.

(Emma Thompson in Brideshead Revisited, alongside co-star Matthew Goode)

(Felicity Jones, Hayley Atwell, Emma Thompson and Matthew Goode in Brideshead Revisited)

Emma continued to say, "It is evil what is going on out there and it is getting worse. The French fashion industry said they would get rid of size zero and they didn't. Not only they didn't but it continued."

She reinforced how important it was to speak out, saying, "Sometimes there are subjects you have to make noises about. It has gone on and on."

The Beauty and the Beast star also condemned the world's obsession with women looking younger, saying, "We could bring out a pro-ageing cream,' she said. 'What is wrong with us? We are all going to get older. Why are we doing this anti-ageing thing? It is everywhere for men and women."

The British actress also admitted that the image-obsessed culture in Hollywood has been the reason she's never made the move over the pond for her career. She said "I never moved to the US. I couldn't. Can you imagine? Every time I go to LA I think ‘Oh god I am too fat to go there.' I think they are saying to me when I arrive ‘You are fat and you are old. Go home'.

"LA is so mad and so hostile. It is a very strange place and I could not live there."

During the interview, Emma also revealed that she had turned down the current President of the United States, Donald Trump, when he asked her out on a date back in 1997.

Amy Hunt

Amy Hunt is an experienced digital journalist specialising in homes, interiors and hobbies. She began her career working as the features assistant at woman&home magazine, before moving over to the digital side of the brand where she eventually became the Lifestyle Editor up until January 2022. Amy won the Digital Journalist of the Year award at the AOP Awards in 2019 for her work on womanandhome.com.