7 Things: Actresses That I Like – #7 Emma Thompson
There is this beautiful old theater outside of Columbus, Ohio in the suburb of Bexley. When I was growing up, it was the closest theater that showed indie and foreign films. It was where they played Much Ado About Nothing during its cinematic run in 1993, and where I went to see it with my dad and then-stepmom.
A few months later, that theater is also where we saw The Remains of the Day. And, in seeing those two movies in a row in a perfect venue at an impressionable age, it was impossible not to know that I was watching pure greatness.
Emma Thompson is a truly brilliant actress, and, whenever I see her in something, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing her part. She owns each role so completely that one must pity the person who has to follow in her footsteps. For most roles, of course, this type of possession does no harm, but good luck to those who attempt to come near her Beatrice in Much Ado. Especially in this scene —> Top this, Bitches
From the comedy to the tragedy, I’m not sure that Emma’s Much Ado performance could have been more pitch-perfect. However, it IS Shakespeare, so that’s automatically kind of like a nitro-booster to one’s acting. You try saying “Done to death by slanderous tongue” or “By this light, I take thee for pity” and not sounding awesome. So, it is actually the much more common, run-of-the-mill Hollywood movie, Dead Again, in which I find Emma’s performance most impressive.
Dead Again features Emma in two incredibly strong roles and has some really intense scenes. As far as movies go, it’s just a notch above standard thriller fare, but her performance really elevates it to something more.
Also, her Trelawney in the Harry Potter movies is perfection.
I suppose it’s a bit of a throwaway kid flick for many, but I really liked her as Nanny McPhee, for which she also wrote the screenplay. The sequel was a bit of a letdown, but the first one is a lot of fun.
That’s interesting to know, because we didn’t see the first movie, but we caught the sequel on a movie channel a few weeks ago and I actually enjoyed the sequel. So, I guess I can anticipate the first movie being a treat 🙂
Oh yes, definitely add it to your list to see. It’s billed as Mary Poppins-ish, and there are similarities in terms of the magical nanny aspect, but the story and visuals in the first one are quite good, there’s a simultaneously cartoonish and macabre vibe going on. Also a good turn by Colin Firth being all.. Colin Firth-y. 🙂