Kate Winslet, now 50, is celebrating her first time directing a film, a touching Christmas drama called Goodbye June, and also stars in it alongside Toni Collette and Helen Mirren. The film will be available on Netflix starting Christmas Eve. However, around 35 to 40 years ago, Winslet faced criticism about her body from both classmates and a drama teacher who didn’t believe she would become successful.
Kate Winslet discussed the difficulties of directing and starring in a film on the Desert Islands Discs podcast, and shared memories of being bullied as a child. She talked about how she was treated unkindly by classmates when she was younger.
I was a bit chubby growing up, and I clearly remember a drama teacher telling me I’d only have a career if I was willing to play roles specifically for heavier people. It’s shocking what people say to kids, especially looking back now. And here I am today – it’s just awful to think about.
It’s easy to assume the drama teacher misspoke when she apparently called a student fat, but Kate Winslet doesn’t seem to believe that’s the case. It appears Winslet still holds a strong resentment towards the woman, and likely with good cause.
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It’s hard to picture how I’d react if my English teacher had suggested I could be a good writer, but only if I was willing to write trivial or unimportant pieces. It’s a completely different scenario, but still incredibly disrespectful.
Winslet pointedly called out many of those that she went to school with during that era, saying:
The people I went to school with were really mean to me, and they ought to feel embarrassed about how they treated me.
Kate Winslet isn’t alone in experiencing criticism and negativity as a young performer – that kind of intense scrutiny can be very stressful and sometimes leads to addiction. Fortunately, Winslet navigated her teenage years without falling into serious trouble, even though she faced even harsher treatment after becoming famous with Titanic.
The veterinarian who treated Holiday also talked about the second time the tabloids and paparazzi focused on her weight, explaining:
My life was completely disrupted, though I have a lot to appreciate. I was really struggling with how I felt about my body. Things got incredibly bad – people were verbally abusive and even went through my trash, trying to monitor my eating habits. It was a humiliating experience.
The late 1990s were a particularly low point for celebrity photography, and it took a long time for people to realize how damaging constant, negative attention could be to those targeted, like Princess Diana, Britney Spears, and Kate Winslet. While things aren’t perfect now, we’ve generally improved as a society the further we get from the days of aggressively pursuing and sensationalizing celebrities’ private lives.
I just finished watching Goodbye June on Netflix, and it’s a really interesting film. It was written by Joe Anders, who happens to be Kate Winslet’s son – that connection sparked quite a bit of conversation online about privilege in the industry, but putting that aside, it’s a solid watch. You can check it out starting December 24th.
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2025-12-22 18:13