Trump asked me out the day I got divorced, says Emma Thompson
But the Left-wing actress, 66, said the Republican president, 79, invited her out for dinner on the day she become divorced.
Speaking at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, Dame Emma said she was in her trailer while filming Primary Colors, the 1998 film loosely based on Bill Clinton's journey to the White House, when the phone rang.
'It was Donald Trump,' she said. 'He said: 'Hello, this is Donald Trump.' I thought it was a joke and asked: 'How can I help you?' Maybe he needed directions from someone.
'Then he said: 'I'd love you to come and stay at one of my beautiful places. Maybe we could have dinner.' I said: 'Well, that's very sweet. Thank you so much. I'll get back to you.''
Around that time, Mr Trump had just separated from his second wife, Marla Maples. He had also extended his property empire to include numerous buildings in the heart of New York.
Dame Emma had announced her separation from actor Kenneth Brannagh in 1995 and begun a relationship with her co-star Greg Wise, whom she later married.
During the Q&A about her career at the film festival, she said she had pondered why Mr Trump contacted her at that time.
'I realised that on that day, my divorce decree had come through,' Dame Emma said. 'And I bet he's got people looking for suitable people he could take out on his arm. You know, a nice divorcee, that's what he was looking for.'
She joked: 'And he found the number in my trailer. I mean, that's stalking.'
The actress, who has been a 'life-long' member of Labour and supported Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, told the festival that, had she had a romantic relationship with Trump, she might changed the course of history.
'I could have gone on a date with Donald Trump, and then I would have a story to tell. I could have changed the course of American history,' she said.
Thompson has been an active and outspoken political and environmental campaigner since her youth. She once supported the now-disbanded Women's Equality Party.
Despite some criticism for being so outspoken, she has defended her activism by claiming 'a woman who has got a louder voice needs to shout very loudly indeed'.
Dame Emma told the festival that she was 'astonished' by the success of the Richard Curtis romantic film, Love Actually, in which she stars with Alan Rickman.
'I mean, it's honestly a constant source of astonishment to me that that film lasted, not that I don't like the film. I like it very much, but it's weird,' she said.
She was referring to the moment her character discovers her partner has been unfaithful, she said she believes part of its appeal was because 'it touched a nerve because we get a heartbreak, especially women, we have to hide it because we don't want people to see it'.
The festival gave Dame Emma Leopard Club Award for career achievements.
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