Emma Thompson, John Travolta, and the “revolting” truth about Hollywood
We don’t have a Mount Rushmore in Britain. Just Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdonia – but neither of them has four famous faces carved into the stone. Should that ever happen, we are spoiled with potential candidates, both from ancient and modern times, who stand as pillars of cultural influence for this small island.
Yes, we have our Shakespeares, Newtons and Darwins who together probably take up most of the votes when it comes to this sort of thing, but there are modern creatives whom I simply cannot imagine the world without, like Judi Dench, David Attenborough and the inimitable Emma Thompson.
The latter has been a mainstay in British culture for the last few decades and has rightly been considered one of the most important actors in the country – her vulnerability, emotional authenticity and relatability have not only made her the creative she is, but almost like the nation’s auntie and someone whose reputation we are deeply keen to protect.
But despite all of this, she has little to no pretence about her. Rarely are stories shared about her throwing her weight around on set; in fact, there are more anecdotes about her using it to prevent that from even happening in the first place. She once said, “If people are late, I say, ‘Well, you can’t do this, because it’s disrespectful to your crew. These are people who work very hard to make sure your image is up on screen, and you just can’t do this, because it’s not unreasonable.’”
That perspective is relatively uncommon in the glittering worlds of Hollywood. A string of actors, all high on their own supply, step on set and forget about the crew who make the film possible. But not Thompson, no, and she is willing to call out anyone who does, as the true custodian of the general public she is.
She once remembered that she “lost [her] rag” with John Travolta, for this very reason. She explained that while working with him on Primary Colors the crew had to adhere to a turnaround rule. It meant that when a day of shooting overran, the actors would then get time back in lieu, but it would ultimately push the schedule back for the remaining crew, who would then have to work late into the night, to accommodate the extra break the actors received.
But Thompson explained that the rule prioritises the actors over the crew. She said, “This star system is not a good system, it’s all hierarchical, and I think that’s just revolting. Revolting for people who are actors to become grand. Out of the question, just not excusable and very unattractive to watch.”
While she clarified that “John is not like that,” she did explain that she got cross with him nonetheless, and let him know about it. She remembered, “We worked until 2am, and we didn’t start again until 7pm, in the evening, and I was so cross. John came on set, and he was very good. He said, ‘Are you cross with me, Em? Are you pissed?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I am! Yes. So shall we just get on with it, it’s the middle of the night.’ So there’s not a lot you can do with that, there’s a star system there, and there it is.”
She might not be on the top of the call sheet, working to the beat of Travolta’s drum, but she is in the running for being immortalised on stone here in the UK. Because, despite being one of the most beloved actors of all time, Emma Thompson just feels like one of us.
