Locarno, Switzerland, Aug 10, 2025 : Oscar-winning British actress Emma Thompson has shared a surprising—and somewhat surreal—story from her past involving former US President Donald Trump. Speaking at the Locarno Film Festival on August 8, where she was honoured with the Leopard Club Award for her career achievements, Thompson recounted how Trump called her directly in 1998 to ask her out on a date—on the very day her divorce was finalised.

Thompson, now 66, was filming the political dramedy Primary Colors at the time. Sitting in her trailer between scenes, she picked up the phone to hear, “Hello, this is Donald Trump.” Initially, she thought it was a prank.

“I thought it was a joke and asked, ‘How can I help you? Maybe he needed directions from someone,’” Thompson told The Telegraph. But the call was no joke. Trump, then a well-known New York real estate mogul, invited her to “come and stay at one of my beautiful places” and suggested they have dinner together.

Her polite but noncommittal reply: “Well, that’s very sweet. Thank you so much. I’ll get back to you.”

The Timing and Speculation
It was only later that Thompson realised the curious timing of the call. “I realised that on that day, my divorce decree had come through,” she said, referring to the end of her marriage to fellow actor Kenneth Branagh, which had lasted from 1989 to 1995. “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 jokingly accused Trump of “stalking,” noting that he somehow obtained her trailer phone number.

Thompson reflected humorously on what could have been, saying, “I could have gone on a date with Donald Trump, and then I would have a story to tell. I could have changed the course of American history.”

Parallel Stories from Hollywood
This isn’t the first time an actress has spoken publicly about Trump’s advances. Salma Hayek previously recounted an encounter in which Trump asked her out while she was already in a relationship. According to Hayek, Trump got her phone number after draping his coat over her shoulders at an event, despite her boyfriend being present.

When Hayek questioned him—“What about my boyfriend? Are you crazy?”—Trump allegedly replied, “He’s not good enough for you. You should go out with me.”

Where Life Took Them
Thompson later married actor Greg Wise in 2003, and they have two children. Trump, who had separated from his second wife Marla Maples around the same time as the alleged phone call, went on to marry Melania Trump in 2005.

While Thompson never took Trump up on his dinner invitation, her recollection of the unexpected proposition decades later drew laughter from the Locarno audience and fuelled social media chatter.

“I suppose it’s just one of those strange footnotes in life,” Thompson said. “Not quite history—but close.”