Kate Winslet is perhaps the most versatile and preeminent actor in Hollywood. The talented star has starred in dozens of big-budgeted blockbusters, thrilling, mind-bending, and thought-provoking projects that have helped her cement her top-shelf position in the industry, and her compassionate nature, unusual on-screen persona, and over-the-top enormous acting potential set her apart from the crowd.
Winslet undoubtedly incorporates all those significant ingredients in her acting that would allow her to deliver a more nuanced and flawless performance. In her storied career, the award-winning actress has dated enough A-list actors and was previously married to director Sam Mendes from 2003 to 2011. She starred in his 2008 romantic drama film Revolutionary Road opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.
They played the role of married couples, and the film features a few intimate scenes involving the actors that made her now former partner and film director Mendes uncomfortable, who once revealed that he struggled to direct those scenes.
Kate Winslet’s Ex-husband struggled to Direct an Intimate Scene involving Her and Leonardo DiCaprio
Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes were once the happiest couples in Hollywood. They initially met in 2001 when Mendes was looking to direct two mega projects at the Donmar Warehouse theater in London. After she divorced her former husband, Jim Threapleton, the actress began dating the 58-year-old filmmaker with whom she welcomed their son Joe Mendes. The former pair continued to make headlines during their whirlwind relationship and divorced in 2011.
The actor-director duo teamed up in 2008 for his romantic drama directorial Revolutionary Road, co-starring Leonardo DiCaprio as her husband. The film did exceptionally well at the box office and earned positive reviews.
Nevertheless, some intimate scenes between her and DiCaprio made the filmmaker nervous, and he struggled to direct them because he was still married to Winslet when they were working on this project. In a candid interview, Mendes once revealed how he was in a different room while executing those sequences and giving instructions to the actors, saying,
“Leo, don’t bang her head so hard against the kitchen cabinets!, adding, Could you not do it for so long this time?, to which the actor replied, ”Like how long? About 45 seconds.” He said DiCaprio responded and quipped about the time, saying, “Really? Only 45 seconds? I said, What’s wrong with 45 seconds? That’s a long time. Anyone would be lucky.”
Those intimate sequences would have made Kate Winslet’s then-husband uncomfortable, as he was so nervous about filming them that he went into another room to give them instructions.
Kate Winslet on Working with Leonardo DiCaprio
In an interview, Kate Winslet opened up about filming those romantic scenes with her friend and Titanic movie co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. The actress claimed it was weird filming them in front of the director and her then-husband Sam Mendes, saying,
“It was the element of, ‘OK, my husband is over there.’ That was a bit weird,” her co-star added, “We can push the boundaries with each other. We use the fact that we’ve been such good friends through the years to our advantage. There’s definitely a comfort level that we have between us, and we challenge each other as actors.”
Despite the problems they endured during filming those scenes, Kate Winslet and DiCaprio delivered phenomenal performances and received critical acclaim. Sam Mendes-directed Revolutionary Road earned positive reviews from the audience and critics alike, and it grossed $76 at the global box office.
Revolutionary Road is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: The Guardian
