Emma Thompson is an icon, and in her over-forty-year career, she has continued to make space for her own sense of self—especially when it comes to her body. In her latest film, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Thompson plays a retired school teacher who hires a young sex worker to get a sense of fun back in her life. This film marks the second time the two-time Academy Award winner has appeared naked onscreen.
The first was in The Tall Guy with Jeff Goldblum. While speaking to the New York Times, the actress is candid about not feeling slim enough to be naked onscreen and not buying into the diet culture around women in media. “It’s not fair to say, ‘No, I’m just this shape naturally.’ It’s dishonest and it makes other women feel like [expletive],” she says. “So if you want the world to change, and you want the iconography of the female body to change, then you better be part of the change. You better be different.”
She explains that she made the choice to “disrobe” in Leo Grande because she thought “the film would not be the same without it.” Still, it was nerve-racking and the profile says, “[T]he moment she had to stand stark naked in front of a mirror with a serene, accepting look on her face, as the scene called for, was the most difficult thing she’s ever done.”
“To be truly honest, I will never ever be happy with my body. It will never happen,” she explained. “I was brainwashed too early on. I cannot undo those neural pathways.”
She does also get candid about sex and the fact that her pleasure takes time: “I can’t just have an orgasm. I need time. I need affection. You can’t just rush to the clitoris and flap at it and hope for the best. That’s not going to work, guys. They think if I touch this little button, she’s going to go off like a Catherine wheel, and it will be marvelous.”
I have always loved Emma Thompson, and I love that she has been so in control of her career over the years. Her wit, charm, and kindness has made her iconic, and I can’t wait to see how she continues to evolve in the years to come.
(via NY Times, image: Amazon Studios)
