British actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson met the audience of the Locarno film festival on Saturday morning at the Forum, which was full. An opportunity to trace your career.
Friday evening, Emma Thompson received on the Piazza Grande the prestigious Leopard Club Award, greeting an exceptional career. The actress, visibly moved, began her speech in Italian: “O, Che Sono Vecchia Stasera” (“as I am old tonight”), causing the laughter of the public.
She continued in French, expressing her gratitude: “I can’t believe that we are here, under the starry sky”. She was accompanied by her daughter Gaia Wise, also an actress in “The Dead of Winter”.
After the ceremony, the thriller “The Dead of Winter”, directed by Brian Kirk, was screened worldwide. The actress embodies Babs, a widow of Minnesota who, during a fishing expedition to a frozen lake, discovers a terrifying situation.
Pushed to its limits
This physical role pushed it to its limits: “During the shooting, I wondered why I started playing in action films at 66,” she joked, arousing the laughter of the public. She also revealed that she stayed in Finland a month before filming to adapt to extreme cold, a trying experience for both the body and the mind.
A woman of convictions, Emma Thompson did not fail to share her feminist commitment during the meeting with the public. “We are all heroines, we have no choice, we live in a patriarchal society,” she said. Words warmly applauded by the hearing.
Atypical course
Coming from a family of artists, Emma Thompson spoke of her atypical journey. “I didn’t want to be an actress when I was young, it seemed to me a precarious job,” she said. She added: “I had never imagined making films, it happened by chance”.
His career led her to win two Oscars: that of the best actress in “Howards End” (1993) and the other for the best scenario adapted to “reason and feelings” (1996). She is the only person to have obtained these two distinctions.
Comparing Hollywood to European industry, Emma Thompson expressed a preference for work in Europe, highlighting a more collaborative and less hierarchical atmosphere. “I am a collegiate person, and in the United States, a gap separates the actors from the team. I was not ready for that,” she said.
Professor Sibylle Trelawney
Among her best known roles, Emma Thompson played Professor Sibylle Trelawney in the Harry Potter saga. “I am sorry for those who love the young wizard, but I did not do much and I was well paid,” said the actress, laughing and imitating the expressions of the professor.
She also talked about the importance of creating films for children, stressing that “children are the best audience, because they will keep these films in memory all their life”. She pointed out that she did not write “Nanny McPhee” (2005) “for children, but for everyone”. She added that the character of Nanny McPhee brought him a personal comfort, having lost her father very young.
This article was published automatically. Source: ATS
