Recently seen as WWII journalist Lee Miller in the Ellen Kuras-directed biopic Lee, Academy Award winner Kate Winslet recently opened up about the onslaught she faced from the press after the success of James Cameron’s iconic epic romantic disaster film Titanic (1997). Speaking in an interview with 60 Minutes, Kate broke down recounting the time when she clapped back at the media for bullying her over her body weight following the release of the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring film.
Although Titanic turned the then 22-year-old Kate into a global star, she said it was “absolutely appalling” how the critics fat-shamed her at the time. “What kind of a person must they be to do something like that to a young actress who’s just trying to figure it out?,” she added.
When asked how she dealt with the bullying, the Oscar-winning actress said, “I did get face to face. I let them have it. I said, ‘I hope this haunts you.’ It was a great moment because it wasn’t just for me, it was for all those people who were subjected to that level of harassment. It was horrific. It was really bad.”
In an earlier interview with The Sunday Times, Kate – who’s currently preparing for Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) and Avatar 4 (2029) – had revealed that as a young performer in school, she was asked to opt for “fat girl” parts. But apparently, the “Titanic body shaming went on for years”.
Also honoured with a Grammy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, five BAFTA Awards and five Golden Globe Awards, Kate is easily one of the most acclaimed actresses of our times. Her best-known films include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Revolutionary Road (2008), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Heavenly Creatures (1994), The Reader (2008), Contagion (2011), Labor Day (2013), A Little Chaos (2014) and Ammonite (2020), among others. She has also been lauded for her performance in the 2021 miniseries Mare of Easttown and The Regime (2024).
