Kate Winslet reflects on the body-shaming remarks she faced as a young actress – and how social media is affecting today’s teenagers. (Photo: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Kate Winslet was nicknamed “Blubber” and told to settle for the role of “fat girl” as a young girl who dreams of acting. And although films like Titanic secured her leading lady status, the English actress told the Sunday Times that her body couldn’t escape scrutiny.
“When I was younger, my agent would get calls asking, ‘What’s her weight?’ moves and has a body that does shake.” At 47, she feels the film industry has evolved over the years in a way that she isn’t as obsessed with weight anymore. It’s a change, which Winslet calls “heartwarming”.
But as the mother of a 22-year-old daughter, actress Mia Threapleton – with whom she stars in new British TV drama I Am Ruth – Winslet is concerned about the pressures social media and internet culture are putting on young people. While the Sense and Sensibility star was no stranger to tabloid interest in her personal life, she didn’t come of age in the era of TMZ or Deux Moi.
“It was hard enough to have the News of the World turning pages on my doorstep, but that’s not even enough now,” she says, referring to the British tabloid. “The phrase ‘Today’s news is tomorrow’s fish-and-chips newspaper’ doesn’t exist. The thing you did when you were drunk or stupid? It may come back to haunt you. Being wary of young actors is another matter. It must be extraordinarily hard.”
I Am Ruth, in which Winslet and Threapleton play mother and daughter, examines how this pressure can have toxic effects on teenagers and their self-image.
“Mia and I had some of those real-life conversations in ‘I am Ruth,'” says the actress, who Mia shares with her first husband Jim Threapleton. “But that’s what most moms I know do with their teens. Friends Gone I’ve been through hell and these days as an actor I strive to find roles that shed light on issues that are difficult to talk about.
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The mother of three understands the strain parents face when trying to protect their children’s mental health. Aware that because of her fame, she’s “accused of lecturing others,” noting that “I don’t have a damn answer that’s better or worse or different than anyone else’s.”
“Just because I’m high profile doesn’t mean I’m unaffected,” says Winslet. “I have no protective force field. I can’t go into details because I have to be careful with Mia’s privacy, but young adults are going through something incredibly difficult. I don’t have a magic wand, but as a parent you’re trying to do the right thing.
“There are times in your child’s life when nothing you can do or say is right,” she continues. “You just want them to be happy, but the pressure of the world is enormous. There’s nothing you can do to protect her.”
But the Mare of Easttown star isn’t entirely despairing of Gen Z.
“My daughter’s generation has the ability to speak for itself,” she notes. “They have already learned that they will be heard. Not in every situation, of course, but they know how to use their voice – especially young women. That impresses me.” . When I was younger you spoke when spoken to. This is no longer the case. Young women are stronger. And they’re prouder of their bodies.”
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