Emma Thompson kicks some sexist ass
I love this. Hayley Atwell is starring in Woody Allen's new movie, Cassandra's Dream, but Miramax Films asked her to loose weight.
Says Atwell: "I went round to Emma's one night and she was getting very angry that I wasn't eating all the food she was giving me. I told her why and she hit the roof." The no-nonsense Thompson was so outraged that she called the producers the next day and threatened to resign from the film if they forced Atwell to lose weight. Faced with Thompson - a two-times Oscar winner - on the warpath, Miramax Films swiftly relented.
I heart her.
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Beyond awesome!!!
One more reason to like her.
what a fantastic example of women sticking up for other women! rock on, emma.
She also told Kate Winslet never to lose weight. Awesome. Now I want her to go and force feed all the Hollywood starlets, while simultaneously kicking some Hollywood executive ass.
We need more women in entertainment to be like her and to be unafraid to take a strong stand on this issue.
Emma Thompson both rocks and rolls.
God, I worship that woman. I think I even still have the Vanity Fair cover from the '90s where she's dressed as Joan of Arc.
She is so cool. She made this video (It’s the part called ‘I am Elena’)too which is used as a campaigning tool against sex trafficking.
Good for her. It just goes to show that sometimes when women do stick up for one another they can make a difference. But it's still kind of bittersweat because Thompson has the clout to do this. I fear that had she not intervened and backed Atwell up, if Atwell had done it herself then she'd been fired and recast.
The "I am Elena" video is disturbing, potentially triggering. It caught me off guard...
Yeah, Emma Thompson is wonderful and Hayley Atwell is gorgeous exactly as she is. :)
You should reword this post. You made it sound as if Miramax asked her to lose weight for the movie, "Cassandra's Dream". Per the article, the movie in question is the remake of "Brideshead Revisited".
I saw "Cassandra's Dream" and didn't remember Emma Thompson being in that movie.
Emma Thompson is playing Lady Marchmain in "Brideshead Revisited" and Hayley Atwell is playing her daughter.
Emma Thompson is an amazing actress and human being.
Love Emma Thompson. Love love love.
Not only has she done this before -- as noted, with Kate Winslet -- she calls Kate now and checks to see if she's eating "proper desserts." It was mentioned in a profile of Kate, whose had lots of faffing about in the media about her body.
Thank goodness for at least one voice in the business with the clout to keep meddling hands of (mostly) men off of women's bodies in this fashion.
That is so awesome. I never knew Emma Thompson was so outspoken. :D
BTW, you may want to change the post to "lose weight" rather than "loose" ;)
emma rocks. other than if a role specifically calls for the actor to be skinny for some reason (bale in the machinist, damon in courage under fire) this should be the stance of every actor out there.
I just saw her in Angels in America for the first time. To die for.
Dananddanica: I get so worried that my dear Christian Bale is going to have a heart attack one of these days. I heard he just did another movie after The Dark Knight that required him to lose weight again (he plays a POW I believe).
Also, I think it's interesting that when actresses gain weight or otherwise make themselves unacceptable by the standards of fashion magazines, they are lauded and showered with awards. Some "uglied up" roles I can think of off the top of my head: Nicole Kidman in The Hours, Charlize Theron in Monster, Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary. I don't know what bothers me more about this phenomenon: that women have to be "ugly" to be talented, or that they get a People Magazine cover story about how they lost the weight in three weeks.
I have always loved Emma Thompson. SUCH an amazing actress. Even better to hear that she's got a strong mind and heart, too -- although anyone who can read Shakespeare like she can has already proven they have something cooking upstairs.
I don't know what bothers me more about this phenomenon: that women have to be "ugly" to be talented, or that they get a People Magazine cover story about how they lost the weight in three weeks.
I know, it's a tough choice. I think I hate the rewarding of "uglification" more, though -- like it's 'so brave' for a woman to put on 30 pounds or a fake nose or wear a set of fucked-up teeth. It's downright insulting that when these women specifically and consciously go beyond the importance placed on female appearance in order to give a more authentic performance, the media just shriek all the louder about her appearance. "Forget about the performance, did you see her teeth?"