Emma Thompson Learned ‘A Lot More From Failing’ In Her Career Than Succeeding (EXCLUSIVE)

She doesn’t turn 60 until next April 15, but Emma Thompson is already embracing her age. “I look my age, and I don’t mind that — being old is heaven,” the Oscar winner recently said at a fundrasing event in London. “I want to enjoy every minute and use the wisdom I’ve accrued,” Emma — who is currently co-starring with Stanley Tucci in the legal drama The Children Act — recently told Vulture. 

Her greatest life lesson? “Always remember to bring a jacket!” she exclusively joked to Closer Weekly (in the magazine’s latest issue, on newsstands now!) at a recent TimesTalk Q&A in NYC. But seriously, “just remember you’re going to learn a lot more from failing than you are from succeeding, and evaluate it accordingly.” 

Emma and her husband, Greg. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Emma spoke from her own experience and noted at the London event that, “I had my heart very badly broken by Ken [Branagh],” her first husband. But now married for 15 years to Greg Wise, she said, “You can’t hold on to anything like that. I just think… pfft!”

Emma has learned a lot about love over the years and knows that every relationship has its ups and downs. So when a couple admits that they are always happy together, Emma doesn’t believe them. “People change and life changes and you can’t have the same relationship as when you first met,” she told Vulture. “When people say, ‘Our relationship has been bliss,’ I just go, ‘I don’t believe you.'”

As a young girl, Emma was heavily influenced by fairy tales and the notion that “romance was the be-all and end-all” to life. She grew up to become very “angry” about the “lies and fairy tales that were sold to young women.” It wasn’t until she met Greg that she decided to describe romance in a different way.

Emma and her family. (Photo Credit: Getty Images.)

“Now I’d say that what happens after happy-ever-after is where love begins. Falling in love is an exalted state, but it is a temporary state,” she explained.

For more on Emma Thompson, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now — and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for more exclusive news!