Emma Thompson admits she made herself ‘seriously ill’ during Oscar campaigns

‘I just found the pressure of it too much, the glare too much,’ actor said

Emma Thompson has said that she made herself “seriously ill” while campaigning for the Oscars.

The British actor is the only person to win an Oscar in both acting and screenwriting categories; the former for Howard’s End in 1992 and the latter for Sense and Sensibility in 1995.

But in a new interview, Thompson admitted that she’d “really hated” campaigning for the awards.

“I get very distraught and actually, both times I had to do the Oscars I got ill, quite seriously ill, before and during it,” she told the Radio Times podcast. “I just found the pressure of it too much, the glare too much. It’s not something I like very much.

“It’s sort of astonishing, and you go, ‘Ooh, ahh’ and then you think, ‘God, I really want to lie down and go in a dark room and just please don’t ask me any questions or make me talk about myself.’ It’s horrible.”

Thompson said that she “quite quickly developed a sort of allergy to all of that”, but reasoned that it was “part of the job”.

She also added that she felt grateful her rise to fame had been “gradual” rather than overnight, allowing her time to adjust.

Elsewhere in the interview, Thompson opened up about her view of romantic love and the longevity of romantic relationships.

Emma Thompson spoke about the stress of campaigning for Oscars (Getty Images for Searchlight Pic)

“It’s philosophically helpful and uplifting to remember that romantic love is a myth and actually quite dangerous,” she said.

“We really do have to take [romantic love] with a massive pinch of salt. To think sensibly about love and the way it can grow is essential if we’re going to live long lives.”

The actor suggested that the “happily ever after” narrative doesn’t exist and that long-term commitment is often turbulent.

Thompson has been married to her Sense and Sensibility co-star Greg Wise for 20 years, with whom she shares two children.