Emma Thompson goes for a ramble with Idler editor Tom Hodgkinson and talks fame, happiness and privacy 

One fine Saturday morning, writes Tom Hodgkinson, I drove up to Hampstead to meet the fabulous Emma Thompson for a leisurely stroll around the Heath. The full interview is featured in the November/December 2019 edition of the Idler. What follows is a short extract from our conversation.

TH So many actors who get to a certain level of celebrity can go completely bonkers.

ET It can make people ill. I don’t know any famous people who haven’t gone through a phase of thinking “What’s all this about?” It’s not about you so much as it’s about how the people around you respond. There should be a handbook. I should bloody well sit down and write one: What to do if you get famous. Because it’s not good for you and it’s really not good for your family. There are perks and it’s what everyone now seems to want to be – but it’s just about the most toxic thing. Humans have always wanted something to chuck things at or to project feelings on to. I used to think about Greek myths and cast Marilyn Monroe as Aphrodite, Robert Mitchum as Hephaestus, and Stallone and Schwarzenegger as all the big impossible creatures. 

TH What would be your top tips?

ET It depends on how recognisable you are. I’ve got quite a bland face, it looks different in every film. If I stick a hat on and some sunnies, I’m pretty safe. For Harrison Ford it was impossible not to be hounded and you need protection from that. It depends on your relationship with the waves of fame and celebrity. It’s like a weather system. A wave will come, like I’ve had recently, with a lot of exposure. When you’re young and it’s positive, it can be very nice. Everyone’s interested in what you have to say. I never knew I was so fascinating! The key is to recognise that you’re only fascinating for about ten minutes and then, like everyone else, you become tiresome. It turns out you’re not a cross between Virginia Woolf and Einstein. The wave sucks away, and you are left beached. And the only answer to that is to work. If you are a creative person you’ll see that fame is of no use to you, other than that it allows you to make choices. For me it means that I can do a job and get paid enough to take time off.

TH And you can say no to rubbish.

ET I don’t always say no to rubbish, though. Because that’s often the best paid. This is what I’m always trying to explain to young actors who want to be famous. Most people in our profession are out of work, women in particular, because there aren’t as many roles. For women it continues to be an incredibly challenging way to make a living.  

TH Like Bob Dylan said: “If a man gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and does what he chooses in between, I would consider him a success.” 

ET Totally. The fame thing is a toxic byproduct. When people ask how I worked out this career, I say: “What are you talking about? It’s not a career, I’m not in banking.” It’s a bizarre thing to want to be famous. But to want to do good work, that makes sense.

This is an excerpt from a longer interview in Idler issue 69. You can find the magazine in shops or online