Kate Winslet admits becoming famous after 'Titanic' made her life 'horrible and unpleasant'
Kate Winslet became one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood after skyrocketing to fame thanks to the 1997 film Titanic, but according to her, things weren't quite pleasant after her sudden recognition.
Speaking to Italian online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter, the actress looked back on her work in one of the top-grossing films in cinema history and discussed the downsides of becoming famous after starring in the James Cameron epic.
"I felt like I had to look a certain way, or be a certain thing, and because media intrusion was so significant at that time, my life was quite unpleasant," Winslet said, who was 22 years old when she led the romantic disaster film alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
After her stint, she focused her career on smaller, independent films because "being famous was horrible."
"I was grateful, of course. I was in my early twenties, and I was able to get a flat. But I didn’t want to be followed literally feeding the ducks," Winslet said.
Despite this, the actress holds Titanic in a positive light, describing it as a film that "continues to bring people huge amounts of joy."
Back in 2022, Winslet also delved into other issues she experienced in filming the blockbuster movie, such as how she was repeatedly body-shamed because of the famous scene where her and DiCaprio's characters Rose and Jack were taking refuge on a floating door after the Titanic sank.
To recap, Rose was the only one to stay safe from the freezing waters as the debris apparently could not hold both of them. Decades later, fans of the film continue to debate the possibility of Jack surviving the incident, if only Rose moved aside and allowed Jack to share the door with her.
"Apparently I was too fat," said Winslet in an interview on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast. "They were so mean. I wasn’t even f–king fat."
She continued, "If I could turn back the clock, I would have used my voice in a completely different way... I would have said to journalists, I would have responded, I would have said, 'Don’t you dare treat me like this. I’m a young woman, my body is changing, I’m figuring it out, I’m deeply insecure, I’m terrified, don’t make this any harder than it already is. That’s bullying, you know, and actually borderline abusive,' I would say.'"
Titanic premiered in theaters in the US on Dec. 19, 1997, and in the Philippines on Feb. 4 the following. year. It won 11 Oscars, including Best Actress for Winslet's portrayal of Rose.