Don't sigh, don't cry! Emma Thompson on THAT Love Actually scene, Harry Potter and Late Night.

Emma. Yes. Welcome. Thank you. To... Hm? Movies That Made Me. Woo! What a treat. Marianne, can you play something else? Mama has been weeping since breakfast. Sense and Sensibility is the one I think I have watched the most. And not just because I studied it at school. Yes. And you must get that a bit where people go, I've watched that. Yeah, much ado gets watched a lot because the people are studying the old Shaggy Spiro. He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man. Yeah, that guy. Hasn't done anything good for ages, but... No, he's gone very quiet. He's gone quiet. Sense and Sensibility, though, is just, without being too overtly complimentary, is just a peach. Do you love him? It's just such a beautiful film. I'm glad you like it. Well, darling, Owen Lee, you know, great director. I do not attempt to deny that I think very highly of him. That I greatly esteem him. I like him. Esteem him? Like him? The script's alright. The script is good, yeah. You must change, you will catch a cold. What care I for colds when there is such a man? You will care very much when your nose swells up. You're alright. Help me, Eleanor. But, you know, I think that Aang brought a whole other world to that film. Is there a particular scene that you remember very fondly shooting from that movie? From Sense? Do you see how I shortened the title there? I did feel like I was part of her. Yeah, sometimes I shorten the titles because, I don't know, it's just something I can do, I'm allowed to do, because I've spent so long writing the bloody thing. I remember us shooting at Trafalgar House. We shot the scene where Willoughby comes in and Marianne sees him for the first time in ages. Willoughby! And it was just a whole bunch of us, including my uncle George, dancing. And it was nights, and we did a week of nights in this beautiful house with these candles and Stuart Hopps, this wonderful choreographer, and there was something very romantic and we were very, very close. It was one scene, and it took a week. I remember that very fondly. I love that scene. Where do you keep your Oscars? I do love asking that question. They're in the downstairs loo, with a little pot of Oscar polish between them that somebody made me out of a Brasso tin. In this room, you shall discover if you possess the sight. Let's talk about a tiny film franchise called, was it called Harry Potter? I am Professor Trelawney. Together we shall cast ourselves into the future. I've read somewhere that you took on Trelawney as a role because it would maybe impress your children. Tell me it did. Yes and no. I'm not really in it enough to impress them. My dear, you have the Grimm. Well, my son doesn't care anyway because he doesn't like magical stuff. And Gaia, I'm not sure she's not mad for it. I'm afraid it didn't quite work out as I had planned. Would you please predict something for me? I'm sorry. I know you're not in it much, but I've always loved the way you get to have the fun that I always thought playing that sort of character would be. It was really good fun. It's like, welcome to the world of tomorrow. No, wait, wait. No, I think I do see something. Yes, I do. Something dark. You are in grave danger. Just love all of that stuff. Occasionally I felt that some of the people, you know, maybe took it too seriously. Lovely. Possibly, I don't know. I mean, all I got a chance to do was work with the kids for once or twice, really mostly M. You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shriveled as an old maze, your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave. I mean, it was five days, three days, two days, you know, and it's something that's such a small part of my working life, but such an enormous part of the sort of library, everyone's library. Yeah, it really is. Have I said something? And I'm imagining, you know, when fans see you on the street, even though it's a tiny part of your, let's say, IMDb page, people must talk to you about it a reasonable amount. Harry Potter fans are lesion. Yeah, yeah, they do. Mostly it's not, though. Mostly it's love, actually. And Nanny McPhee. And Nanny McPhee? I hear there's a musical possibly on the way. Yes. Directed by yourself? Yes, yes. We are birthing it in a couple of years. It's a very, very long gestation. So we did a workshop last year, we've got another workshop this year, and next year we'll work on it some more, and I think it'll be around 2021, hopefully. OK. All right. Fingers crossed. Oh! Naughty around the jewellery section, I see. No, I was just looking around, you know. My expectations are not that high after 13 years of Mr... Oh, but you always love scarves. But speaking of love, actually, I was hanging around on the internet the other day, that's why, and there's a video of Kit Harington saying how his favourite bit of acting in a film is you crying in your bedroom in Love Actually. Darling, could you just make sure the kids are ready to go? I'll be back in a minute. He says it, I know it sounds a little bit maybe silly, but he says he absolutely adores it. Well, that's nice. Don't let them know Don't give yourself away I've looked at love From both sides and now Do you get a lot of people reacting to that scene? Because it's still, every year, you must know that people up and down the country are crying with you. I think it's just because everybody's been through something like it. I think what it really gets to them, though, is the fact that she has to pull herself together. It's not that she's upset, that's, you know, a tenner penny, but it's the fact that she has to pull herself together, and that's Richard's writing, don't forget. Oh, my God! Your life's changed entirely, but also it hasn't changed at all. Yes, exactly, you've got to carry on and just be normal, especially for your children. Yeah, for sure, they all matter. How would you describe Molly? Molly? Molly is... Let's jump to Late Night. She said I was the vibrant splash of colour on the grey canvas of our writing staff. I was really touched. Which is a film that, again, when you get a script like this, and I know Mindy sent you a letter and it was written for you, when you get a script like this, it must be like, can I really have this much fun? And have something to say? So, such an extraordinary script. My name is Eugene Mancuso, and when my parents got divorced, this show... I don't know who any of you are, I don't know who any of them are. I mean, when I got it, I just couldn't believe it, because it was... I don't know how many draftsmen had done, she didn't tell me, but I just read it and said, I have to do this. This is so fantastic. Tom? I'm Tom. I write the monologue. I'm actually the youngest monologue writer in the history of the show. With this film, you get to go on to chat shows to promote your film about a chat show. And there was a kind of a pop culture eating itself moment, where you're washing a sheepdog with Jimmy Fallon, and I just thought, what was going on in your head at that moment? What's happening here? Well, I thought that was a good idea, because Jimmy had seen the film, and of course he's mentioned in it, when she says, actually it's her boss, who says, I'm firing you, because you won't do things like wash a sheepdog with your guests, and here's Jimmy Fallon doing that, and it's glorious, and why don't you do that, you stupid woman? So Jimmy said, can we wash a sheepdog together? And it was glorious. I mean, they're absolutely right. I hate to ask a too actory question here, but is there a particular bit of direction you've had over the years, that you've hung on to and really enjoyed and remembered? Jim Ivory saying, don't sigh ever, and just don't cry. Just don't, unless you absolutely have to. That's very good. Lots of actors use sighing, as it's a kind of way of, I don't know, it's a nervous habit. You'll notice now when you watch. Sighs need to be like words. If you're going to use it, it has to really mean something, otherwise it's just noise, and it's really boring. And people who cry in films all the time, you just can't do it, because the film's very short. You might be doing a film about somebody's life, and in that life there's lots of pain. So there's lots of moments where they might cry. But if you show them all in a two hour movie, or one and a half hour movie, you just go, oh my god, this person was just upset all the time. And then you walk out feeling miserable. It's also a very good rule of thumb. If you have to cry, cry once. Once is enough. Choose your moment. Like and love, actually. Thank you so much. Thank you, darling. Thanks for watching. If you liked that, then do watch these videos, or you can listen to my podcast called Radio 1's Screen Time. Oh, and do not forget to hit that subscribe button. You can now get more Radio 1 in your life by downloading the BBC Sounds app or the BBC iPlayer app. Search for full length versions of these interviews by typing in movies with Ali Plumb.