Emma Thompson is ready for her sexual awakening in the trailer for Good Luck to You, Leo Grande—and in order to reach her final destination, she’s made a list. Speaking to sex worker Leo Grange (Daryl McCormack), the Oscar-winning actress runs through a list of sexcapades she’d like to finish by the end of the day.
“So I’ve made a list of things that I’d like to get through,” she announces. “Number one, I perform oral sex on you. Number two, you perform oral sex on me. Number three, we do a sixty-nine, if that’s what it’s still called? Four, me on top. Five, doggy style.”
And no, this isn’t some new form of Zumba or Barre meant to trick herself into working out more because it’s “fun.” Thompson’s Nancy, a retired widow, has hired Leo to help give her an orgasm—because she’s never had one before.
Leo, who you might recognize as Isaiah from Peaky Blinders, is calm and welcoming. He has no hesitations about the idea (except, maybe, the idea of trying to complete all of the sexual acts listed above in a 24 hour timeframe). He dances with Nancy to loosen up her twisted nerves, soothes her body issues, and also affirms that she’s not the oldest person he’s worked with. That’d be an 82-year-old.
“82!” Nancy scoffs in the clip. “Okay, I’m feeling a bit better now.”
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to dazzling reviews, now standing at 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The film shot in only 19 days amid the pandemic, and primarily takes place in one location (the hotel room where Leo and Nancy meet).
“I found it one of the most satisfying professional experiences of my life because it was, in a way, the purest form of acting you can do,” Thompson said of the shoot while speaking with Variety. “One space, no props. There’s nothing to do. It’s Peter Brook time. It’s as pure as it gets. The landscape is the emotional landscape. Obviously it’s an intense experience but also one full of sheer joy.”
Thompson picked up the script while she worked on Nanny McPhee Returns all the way back in 2010, where she met Katy Brand, the writer of Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. The actress hasn’t earned an Oscar nomination since Sense and Sensibility in 1996, but with the soaring reviews and killer first look at Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, there’s a chance she’ll hit the nominations once more.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande will debut on Hulu on June 17.
