Emma Thompson Says Oscars Made Her Sick, 'Distraught'

In new podcast, actor says campaigning wasn't for her; also, that 'happy ever after' doesn't exist
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 21, 2023 10:05 AM CST
Emma Thompson Says Oscars Made Her Sick, 'Distraught'
Emma Thompson is seen at the BAFTAs in London on Sunday.   (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

The Academy Awards are right around the corner, and some of the aggressive campaigning that went on this season has already made headlines. One person who doesn't miss any of that: Oscar-winning actor Emma Thompson, who now says that kind of awards-season lobbying led her to feeling "distraught" and "seriously ill." The 63-year-old thespian has two Oscars under her belt: one for best actress in 1993 for Howards End, and one for adapted screenplay in 1996 for Sense and Sensibility, making her the only person in Oscars history to win for both acting and writing, per the Guardian.

But although Thompson likely enjoys the cachet of the trophies, it sounds like she didn't much enjoy the lead-up to her wins, per her remarks on a recent Radio Times podcast. When she had to "do the Oscars," she said, "I got ill, quite seriously ill, before and during it. I just found the pressure of it and glare of it too much. ... You think, 'Please don't ask me any questions or make me talk about myself.' It's horrible." She noted that she "developed a sort of allergy" to the whole routine, though she also conceded, "It's sort of part of the job."

Thompson, who saw a well-publicized breakup in the mid-'90s with her first husband, Kenneth Branagh, before settling down with current spouse Greg Wise, also dished a bit on love, noting we should take the "dangerous" idea of romantic love "with a massive pinch of salt," per the Independent. "To think sensibly about love and the way it can grow is essential if we're going to live long lives," she said, before adding, "Long-term relationships are hugely difficult and complicated. If anyone thinks that happy ever after has a place in our lives, forget it." The Oscars air March 12; check out this year's nominees here. (More Emma Thompson stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X