“Did a bit with glasses and hair”: Sybill Trelawney actress Emma Thompson on her role in the Harry Potter franchise and more

For Harry Potter fans, Sybill Trelawney is one interesting character, and it gets as fascinating as it can get. The talented Emma Thompson played it, although it wasn't a major one. Recently, she received the Locarno Film Festival’s Leopard Club Award, which was held at Switzerland's Piazza Grande, where she talked about her character in the popular wizardry world and more. About Trelawney, she said,

"This is not really an important part of my creative endeavor. I’m really sorry. I don’t mean to be rude to those of you who like Harry Potter, but you know, I really came in, did a bit with glasses and hair, and then left, having been quite well paid. I’m very grateful to them."

She has appeared in three films in the franchise, including Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

Emma Thompson's Sybill Trelawney had an interesting tradition

There's a reason that the students at Hogwarts were either afraid of or trying to avoid her. One of the reasons was that she was weird as hell, more than Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch). Another reason was that she had a tradition of predicting her students' deaths.

We see her doing that in the third film during one of her Tessomancy sessions, where students are required to consume the tea from a cup until the dregs are left. After that, some shapes appear in that cup, usually symbols hinting at the future.

When it was time for Emma Thompson's Professor Trelawney to look into Harry's cup, she saw four things: the falcon, the club, the skull, and the Grim. The fourth one is the most lethal of all, as it represents an omen of death. Thankfully, that doesn't happen with Harry until the final film, where he eventually returns to life.

Emma Thompson wasn't the first choice for the character

Before Emma, the role for Professor Trelawney was offered to another talented name, Tilda Swinton, who played The Ancient One in MCU's Doctor Strange (2016). However, she turned down the role. In one interview with The Scots Magazine, she said,

"I think [boarding schools] are a very cruel setting in which to grow up and I don’t feel children benefit from that type of education. Children need their parents. That’s why I dislike films like Harry Potter, which tend to romanticise such places."

What else did Emma discuss during the event?

She also discussed this one event when she got a call from the current President of the United States, Donald Trump, who also got a biographical film based on him, The Apprentice, which he didn't really like.

So, during this one event, Emma Thompson was in a trailer and got a phone call claiming to be him. At first, she thought that someone was playing a prank on her. That was unfortunate, as she explained,

"But 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."

Trending

Emma Thompson's upcoming movies include The Dead of Winter and Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie.

Keep reading Soap Central for more stories like this.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

Quick Links

More from SoapCentral