Emma Thompson

Thompson said Sondheim is harder to perform than Shakespeare, whom she called reliable and easy.

“I would say harder, yeah. Harder than Shakespeare. Shakespeare makes it easy for us”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 43:45

Thompson rejected snobbery that ranks theater, film and television acting, saying a good actor is good in any medium.

“If you're a good actor, you're a good actor, you're a good actor, whatever you're doing. I love that. I can't bear all that snobbery”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 42:29

Thompson said that on the rare occasions she declines a selfie, fans have taken it well and understood.

“every time I have said no, and it's quite rare, people have taken it so well because they seem completely to understand”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 15:12

Thompson said she keeps her Oscars in the lavatory to keep them in their place.

“The Oscars are in the lavatory because that just keeps them in their place”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 6:55

Thompson attributed dishes like haggis and black pudding to poverty and not wasting any part of an animal, noting Scotland was very poor until recently.

“because don't forget, it's really quite recent that the country's, I suppose Scotland in particular, was poor, very poor until recently”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 51:42

Thompson said a Nanny McPhee stage musical, ten years in the writing, will open in the West End next year.

“we've spent 10 years writing the musical of that, which is coming into the West End next year”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 46:54

Thompson explained that a feminist comedy sketch about women's sexual ignorance led to her being asked to adapt Jane Austen.

“So the sketch was about sexual ignorance. So it's a feminist sketch about the fact that women weren't allowed to know about sex”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 44:22

Thompson said she and her partner told their daughter the television was broken, and she believed it for years.

“We told my daughter the television was broken, which she believed for at least eight years”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 36:10

Thompson argued that being accommodating and emollient should not be expected only of women, which made her unapologetic character liberating to play.

“I think that whilst there is a place for that in both sexes, it is not appropriate for for it to be just women who do that”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 32:04

Thompson said she is fascinated by both world wars because they left unhealed traumas in the UK.

“I'm kind of slightly obsessed with both wars, actually, because I think they left traumas in our country, in the UK, that have never really been healed or addressed”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 27:45

Thompson said she considers children the sacred audience for whom artists must do their best work.

“I always consider children to be the sacred audience. They're the people we need to make the best of our work for”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 26:15

Thompson noted she spent only about 30 days on the Harry Potter films, despite how much people associate her with them.

“i've spent about 30 days on harry potter in my whole life you know so it's kind of a strange thing to talk about”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 22:55

Thompson said London theaters lack air conditioning because Britain has not yet adapted to climate change.

“Because we've never needed it before, and we haven't adapted yet to climate change”

SmartLess: "Emma Thompson" (Jun 29, 2026) · Listen from 11:47