Kate Winslet: This is how strongly the actress reacts to body shaming in connection with the film “Titanic”
Hardly any film has ever been quoted, parodied or discussed so often. “Titanic” is a melodrama, disaster film and social portrait in one – and has now become a real classic, whose tragic love story moves people from all over the world to tears in front of the television. It's been 26 years sinceas Rose andas Jack with “” wrote film history.
The Oscar-winning masterpiece about the sinking of the world's largest passenger ship in 1912 represents three hours and 14 minutes of pure emotion. For actress Kate Winslet, the release of “Titanic” marked her breakthrough. An incredible success that – how could it be otherwise – also has some downsides. Because the beginning of a career in Hollywood is always the moment from which everything you say, wear and do suddenly becomes of public interest.
Body shaming: This is how nasty the young Kate Winslet's appearance was judged
From “Avatar 2” to “The Reader” to the popular“Love doesn’t need a vacation” – Kate Winslet’s filmography is long. And yet, to this day, hardly an interview goes by in which the actress is not asked about “Titanic”. So it's no surprise that she was recently asked in an interview with "60 Minutes" about her star role from 1998. Or rather: to a specific media report afterwards.
Kate Winslet is shown a video of herself at the 1998 Golden Globes, in which a presenter can be heard. As the young actress walks the red carpet, he says Kate Winslet looks "cast" in her dress. He goes on to say that “it might have been okay if she did thatwould have chosen two sizes larger”. The 49-year-old nods sadly. When asked how she feels today when she hears such statements, she replies: “It's horrible! What kind of person do you have to be to talk like that about a young actress who's just trying to find her way?"
and these kinds of nasty comments are unfortunately nothing new and certainly not uncommon for actresses like Kate Winslet. Even in acting class, a teacher told her to her face that she should “better settle for the 'fat girl' roles,” says Winslet. And the “Titanic” ending was also a repeated occasion for body shaming for viewers. Too often the actress had to listen to nasty sayings like: Jack couldn't have survived on the floating door in the ice-cold Atlantic because Rose was so fat and didn't leave him any room. Kate Winslet says that she knew she wasn't fat. And yet such comments resonate, hurt your self-confidence and make you doubt.
When asked if she's ever said anything "face to face" when someone body-shamed her, she says, "Yeah, I said, I hope this haunts you!" Kate Winslet pauses, swallows visibly depressed and fights back tears as she continues speaking. “It was a great moment because I didn't do it just for myself. It was for all people who are subjected to this kind of harassment and resentment.”
Kate Winslet will celebrate this success in 2024
Kate Winslet is many things: a great actress, a loving mother of three, a convinced feminist and so much more. With her commitment, her power and her self-confidence, she is above all a role model for women.
