Kate Winslet revealed that her confidence suffered a blow when her weight was examined when she was 20 years old and was starting in the acting world.
The 45-year-old movie star explained that a series of cruel comments “altered her impression of beauty” and she regretted the fact that she was nicknamed “frank” when she tried to defend herself.
When Kate appeared on Titanic in 1997, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, comedian Joan Rivers joked: ‘If she lost just 5 pounds, Leo would have fit on the ferry’.
Looking back: Kate Winslet revealed that her confidence was shaken when her weight was examined when she was 20 years old and was starting in the acting world (photo in 2018)
Speaking to The Guardian, Kate recalled: ‘At 20, people talked a lot about my weight. And I would be called upon to comment on my physical self. Well, then I got that label for being brave and forthright. No, I was just defending myself. ‘
Asked whether comments about her weight had any impact, Kate revealed: ‘It damaged my confidence. I didn’t want to go to Hollywood because I remember thinking, “God, if that’s what I’m being told in England, what will happen when I get there?”
– Besides, it interferes with your growing impression of what is beautiful, you know? I felt very alone. For the simple reason that nothing can really prepare you for … that.
Kate recalled: ‘At 20, people talked a lot about my weight … It damaged my confidence’ (photo at 23 in 1998)
Kate also talked about her role in Ammonite, about self-taught real-life geologist Mary Anning and her romance with future scientist Charlotte Murchison, played by Saoirse Ronan.
The actress said that working on the film made her realize how the film ‘objectified women forever’ and that there was a great sense of ‘equality’ in the project.
Her co-star Saoirse previously explained why she was not nervous about becoming intimate with Kate in the romantic drama set in 1840s England.
Jibes: When Kate appeared on the Titanic in 1997, comedian Joan Rivers joked that: ‘If she only lost 5 pounds, Leo would have fit on the raft’
She told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘I wasn’t nervous, no. I never feel really nervous doing sex scenes because I’ve always worked with people I trust, which is huge, and I know that not everyone can say that.
The five-time Oscar nominee added that having the director, Francis Lee, let the duo move freely with the “choreography” of the scenes helped make them comfortable.
“It was great to have that authority over these intimate scenes, which can often make you feel incredibly vulnerable, but instead we feel empowered by that,” said Saoirse.
‘We really feel like we’re steering the ship. There was a plan for us that we created for ourselves, so there were no surprises and nothing was unexpected. ‘
Project: The actress said that working on Ammonite with Saoirse Ronan made her realize how the film ‘objectified women forever’ and that there was a great sense of ‘equality’ in the project
In another part of the interview, Kate admitted that she now regrets having worked with directors Woody Allen on Wonder Wheel in 2017 and Roman Polanski on Carnage, released in 2011, after sexual assault charges against them.
She said, ‘I shouldn’t have worked with Woody, or Roman [Polanski], and I will probably always fight those regrets. It is simply unbelievable to me now that those men have been held in such high regard in this industry, and for so long. ‘
However, Kate added that she would “challenge anyone” in the film industry to deny that parts of her films were highly coveted, which has only recently changed.
Polanski fled the United States in 1978 after being accused of rape by a 13-year-old girl, and never returned.
Several other women have accused him in recent years of sexual misconduct, all of which he has denied.
Despite the accusations, Polanski won an Oscar in 2003 for directing the World War II drama The Pianist, as well as a prize for best director at the Cesar Prize in France last February, which caused several women to come out in protest.
‘What the hell was I doing?’: Kate admitted that she ‘regrets’ working with directors Woody Allen and Roman Polanski (pictured in Allen’s Magic Wheel)
Scandal: Polanski fled the United States in 1978 after being accused of legal rape of a 13-year-old girl and never came back, he was also accused of sexual misconduct by several women
Meanwhile, in 1992, it turned out that Allen, then 57, was having an affair with the adopted daughter of his partner Mia Farrow, Soon-Yi Previn, then 21.
After the scandal broke, Farrow and Allen had a bitter and public breakup, during which she accused the revered director of sexually assaulting her seven-year-old adopted daughter, Dylan.
Allen was investigated, but never charged, and has since vehemently maintained his innocence.
The allegations were brought back into the public eye with the #MeToo movement, as Allen’s son, journalist Ronan Farrow, supported the allegations of abuse by his sister Dylan and his mother Mia.
Alleged sexual assault: Meanwhile, in 1992, Allen’s former partner, Mia Farrow, accused the revered director of sexually assaulting his adopted daughter, Dylan, seven