Kate Winslet has had several life experiences that made her strong enough to deal with whatever life throws at her. Whether it be her personal life or the intense scrutiny she faced when she garnered global attention for portraying Rose in 1997’s Titanic, Winslet continued to look forward. It is one of the reasons why she is one of the most influential actresses of her generation.
After playing a supporting role in Avatar: The Way of Water, she is back with a new project, Lee which she co-produced as well. In the new project, she chose not to let anything hold her back even after she was injured.
Kate Winslet Continued to Film Topless Scenes Despite Getting Injured
In a new Vogue interview, Kate Winslet detailed her experience starring and co-producing Lee. She portrayed the titular role in the film adaptation of Antony Penrose’s 1985 book The Lives of Lee Miller. To recreate Miller’s topless moment of her picnicking with friends, the former decided to go topless as well.
However, that scene was filmed after she injured herself on the first day of filming in the French port of Saint-Malo. But this didn’t refrain her from continuing to work on it. She shared in the interview,
“I had three massive hematomas on my spine, huge,” the actor said. “I could barely stand up.”
While she was unable to work out due to her back injury, she didn’t let the filming be affected in any way. Even her own team warned her to sit up straight, but she chose to be herself.
“I had to be really f–king brave about letting my body be its softest version of itself and not hiding from that,” she said. “And believe me, people amongst our own team would say, ‘You might just want to sit up a bit.’ And I’d go, ‘Why? [Because of] the bit of flesh you can see? No, that’s the way it’s going to be!'”
Though working on that scene was a bit challenging for her especially due to her injury, she did not let any harsh remarks let her down in any way. But this self-acceptance and high self-worth is something she learned the hard way as she was intensely criticized for her looks when she got global fame through her Titanic role.
Kate Winslet Addressed Bodyshaming Scrutiny After Titanic‘s Release
Following the release of the 1997 film, the actress faced intense body shaming. She was crucified with harsh remarks for looking “too fat” which seemed to have stemmed from one of the movie’s last scenes where both the main leads were on the floating door. While Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack died of hypothermia, Winslet’s Rose survived leaving to a long-debated discussion. Toxic fans criticized the character’s weight for contributing to Jack’s death.
Addressing the backlash, she recalled in the same interview,
“I was consistently told I was the wrong shape.” She added, “I was consistently told I would have to settle for less.”
She faced “the most awful scrutiny and judgment, and, actually, I would go so far as to say bullying, from mainstream media when I was in my 20s.”
But, now, she has overcome the negative remarks and continues to be on the road to loving herself wholeheartedly. Her strong affection and belief in herself are the very reason she continues to stay unaffected by what negative remarks get thrown at her side. Overcoming her insecurities, she became an inspiration for countless individuals who at some point faced a similar struggle. She continues to advocate self-worth and self-acceptance intending people to understand that true beauty lies in embracing their own self.
Lee premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9th September.
Source: Vogue
