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Kate Winslet’s family does not share the common holiday ritual of watching the 2006 romantic comedy *The Holiday*, despite its popularity among many during Christmas. The film, which centers on two heartbroken women swapping homes across the Atlantic, stars Winslet alongside Cameron Diaz, with Jude Law and Jack Black playing their respective love interests. Reflecting on this, Winslet reveals, “No, we haven’t seen The Holiday for years,” adding that she rarely watches films she stars in, stating, “We don’t sit down and watch films I’m in. I barely do.”
Winslet explains that most actors find viewing their own work to be a challenging and often uncomfortable process. “When you watch the finished product, for most actors, that’s an excruciating experience. It’s something you kind of have to go through,” she says. This topic arose as Winslet discussed her new Christmas-themed movie *Goodbye June*, her first in nearly two decades. Written by her son Joe Anders and inspired by the passing of Winslet’s mother, the film explores a family’s journey towards reconciliation during the last moments of their mother’s life under palliative care. Winslet emphasizes that the story is more about embracing life than confronting death, adding, “‘It’s not actually a film about dying. It’s a film about living more than anything. People have been finding it very, very uplifting.”
In addition to starring alongside Dame Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall, Andrea Riseborough, and Stephen Merchant, *Goodbye June* marks Winslet’s debut as a director. After contemplating a move behind the camera for ten years and responding to repeated questions about when she would direct, Winslet finally felt ready to take on the challenge now that her children are grown. “Now is a time when I’ve felt that my children are grown up enough that I can be that little more absent, just mentally absent,” she explains, noting how motherhood had been her priority for many years alongside her acting career. She acknowledges the skepticism often faced by female actors who transition into directing, saying, “There is a thing with female filmmakers … ‘Do we really know what we are talking about? Do we really know what we are doing with the camera?’ But I’ve been in front of cameras for 33 years, so sort of, by osmosis, [you] learn the technical side of it.”
Winslet also reflects on the ongoing gender imbalance within the film industry, pointing out that only a small fraction of the top 100 UK box-office films last year were directed or co-directed by women. She attributes this in part to the challenges faced by mothers, citing the demanding nature of directing along with societal doubts about women’s capabilities in this role. “We’re incredibly forward thinking, incredibly resilient, we can cope extremely well with very little sleep and we get things done,” Winslet asserts. She cites Australian director Jocelyn Moorehouse, with whom she has worked, as a major source of inspiration due to Moorehouse’s resilience against judgment and scrutiny. Winslet hopes that by taking on directing herself, she can encourage other women and help change the culture in the industry. “If there is more of us doing it then hopefully more will follow and we’ll be giving across the message that we are perfectly capable of doing that job just as well as the men.”
Winslet’s children have also pursued careers in the film industry but deliberately avoid using their mother’s last name professionally to establish their own identities. Daughter Mia Threapleton recently appeared in Wes Anderson’s *The French Dispatch*, and son Joe Anders wrote *Goodbye June*, acted alongside Winslet in *Lee*, and had a role in *1917*. Winslet is clear in rejecting the label of “nepo baby” often applied to children of famous parents, stating, “These kids are not getting a leg up.” She shares that Joe is concerned about perceptions surrounding the film’s production, emphasizing the strength of the script itself as attracting talented actors. She encourages her children to follow their own passions and acknowledges the challenges they face in earning respect and opportunities independently, teaching them to disregard the “white noise of silly terms like nepo baby.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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