"It won't happen again, and I doubt I'll be as busy as this in the future so I might as well enjoy it."

1988
Emma won a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for her roles as Suzi Kettles and Harriet Pringle.

Her relationship with Ken continued to grow, and though it wasn't official public knowledge, rumors began to circulate. By the end of the year, they were a couple and everyone knew it.

"You learn much more from the experience of failing to please than you do from accepting an award."

Six episodes of the new show, Thompson, were shot, despite Emma's fears that her writing wasn't funny. And, well, most people thought it wasn't. Critics and viewers didn't respond well. After Fortunes of War, it was a serious disappointment, so much so that she was often made fun of in the press.

What was next? Her first movie role, a small film called Camden Town Boy, which was later retitled The Tall Guy. In the meantime, Ken was preparing to direct and star in his breakout film Henry V. Emma played Princess Catherine in the movie, and also supported Ken behind the scenes. During the filming, Ken proposed, and she accepted.

1989
There was one bump in the road, however. Some time later, Emma found evidence that Ken had just been having an affair, and only after much persuading and who knows what else did Ken bring an angry Emma around again.

Meanwhile, Emma's professional life was very busy. She starred in two television plays, The Winslow Boy and Knuckles. Her recovery from Thompson took time, but these were more solid steps in the right direction. When The Tall Guy was released, it confirmed her continued skills as a comedic actor. It wasn't a huge success by any means, but it didn't flop either.

Ken and Emma first appeared on stage together in Look Back in Anger. The reviews were mixed, but largely positive. At this point, it was Ken who was the star of the couple, with Emma playing back-up. The production was even filmed and released on video cassette.

Wedding plans were afoot, even though the couple tried (mostly) to keep word of it from the press. August 20 was the day. It was a party of theater folk, full of celebrities. [And, in this writer's opinion, Emma wore the ugliest wedding dress I've ever seen.]

When Henry V was released, Ken's reputation was elevated further in Britain, and also for the first time in the U.S. Despite Emma's role in the movie, it was Ken's spotlight. Ken was nominated for two Oscars and won various other awards.

[On a personal note, this movie was my first notice of Emma. In awe of Branagh, I also noticed Emma and was intrigued. When I saw Dead Again, I became entranced. When I saw Much Ado About Nothing, I became amazed. But I'm getting ahead of the story...]

1990
Next up for Emma was Impromptu, set in 19th century France. She played, essentially, an upper-class Countess with an empty head.

Then it was back to the stage and back to performing opposite her husband. She starred in King Lear and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and even toured internationally with Ken's company.

"I think it's interesting that the couples we've played have, generally speaking, had fairly disastrous relationships."

After the success of Henry V, Ken received a lot of scripts. One of them was Dead Again. Ken loved it, wanted to direct and star in it, and wanted Emma to co-star. It all happened, and filming began in Los Angeles, where the couple lived for about a year.

Lindsay Doran produced the film, and had also always been interested in doing a film version of Sense and Sensibility. And when she saw some of the period skits that were part of Thompson (a show she liked very much), she knew she had found a potential screenplay writer. She approached Emma about it, and a seed of interest was planted.

1991
Dead Again was released. It did fairly well with critics, and got mixed reviews from audiences.

While she was living in America, Emma also had the opportunity to put in a guest appearance on Cheers, playing a delightfully awful children's entertainer. Emma was finally getting more noticed in the U.S.

Ken and Em returned to England and their new house, which was near Emma's previous flat in West Hampstead. They also vacationed in Scotland and Ireland.

Next came Peter's Friends, a gathering of old friends from Footlights days. In general, it was moderately liked in America but disliked in England.

Emma was still politically active, speaking out against the Gulf War during this time.

Also about this time, Emma heard that the unparalleled Merchant-Ivory team was working on a film version of Howards End. She desperately wanted to be involved, and wrote to Ivory. Amazingly, he was at the same time writing to her, offering the part of Margaret.

Life was very busy once again. First it was filming Howards End, then it was joining Ken in Tuscany to shoot Much Ado About Nothing, and all the while she was supposed to be writing a script for Sense and Sensibility.

In fact, she was so busy that she turned down a role that could very well have changed the shape of her career. Before Sharon Stone was cast, the director of Basic Instinct approached Emma about taking the lead role. She turned it down, recognizing that it wasn't a good match. Indeed.

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