Kate Winslet, in her decades-long career, has dabbled in almost every genre of film there is. From the Oscar-winning Titanic to the Christmas favorite, The Holiday, the actress has flexed her acting muscles in a variety of projects. It’s almost impossible to think that she could have been fired from a project.
But the actress feared that it might happen to her in this beloved film. No, it’s not The Titanic and it’s not Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind either. It’s actually the Christmas film, The Holiday (2006) which grossed a whopping $204 million on a $85 million budget. But why was Winslet afraid of getting fired even though she had proven her caliber as an artist?
Kate Winslet Was Afraid Of Getting Booted For Not Acting Right
The Holiday stars Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black. In this light-hearted romantic comedy, Winslet played England’s Iris Simpkins who exchanged her home for two weeks with Diaz’s American Amanda Woods. While staying at each other’s homes, they explored their lives and found love. Now, one would think that a film like this would be a cakewalk for her.
After all, she had already flexed her acting muscles in Titanic and also did a fair bit of action there. But turns out, the Finding Neverland actress was so worried about her performance that she thought the makers would kick her out of the film.
In an interview (via About.com) she said:
“Jude [Law] and I would speak on the telephone a lot before we started shooting. ‘Oh my god, they’re going to fire us! They’re going to recast. What if we don’t make them laugh?'”
Winslet was this worried because till then she hadn’t done any kind of rom-coms and thought she didn’t have it in her to make the audience laugh. She said:
“I’ve never done a romantic comedy or something that is labeled as that before. I was so excited to do something new and also nervous you know? The worry of, ‘Can I be funny?'”
But the actress shouldn’t have worried about it because Nancy Meyers, the creator of the film, actually wrote the character of Iris Simpkins with Winslet in mind. But that’s not the only person who believed in her.
Jack Black Knew Kate Winslet Would Nail The Role
Jack Black, who played Miles Dumont, Kate Winslet’s on-screen love interest in The Holiday, initially wasn’t interested in being in the film because it was a rom-com. But he signed on when he found out that he would be starring opposite the acclaimed actress.
In an interview with Coming Soon, he gushed about her and said that she’s so incredible that he was fascinated with her. He stated:
“Kate was incredible as I anticipated. It was a huge reason why I wanted to do the movie. I was such a big fan of hers, I just love her work and her acting.”
Also, apart from Jack Black and Nancy Meyers, audiences wholeheartedly embraced her and the film is still re-watched during holidays. Many think it is Winslet who delivered the best performance of the lot.
The Holiday is available on Netflix.
Source: About.com and Coming Soon
