Kate Winslet says she was ‘bullied’, had ‘physical exam’ after ‘Titanic’

Kate Winslet was just 21 when her role in “Titanic” catapulted her to international stardom, and she recently spoke of feeling “intimidated” and “criticized” by the press after the film’s release.

Becoming famous “It was like night and day from day to day,” the actor, now 45, said in a recent episode of Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast. “I have been subjected to many personal physical examinations and have been criticized a lot. The British press was actually pretty mean to me. “

“I felt pretty intimidated if I’m being honest,” she continued. “I just remember thinking, ‘OK, well, this is horrible and I hope it passes.’ It definitely succeeded but it also made me realize that if that was it, being famous, I wasn’t ready to be famous, thank you. Absolutely not.”

She also said she went into “self-protective mode” after the film’s release as she dealt with the invasive press attention, remembering “cars and cars full of British tabloid photographers who told me about it. photographed while going to buy a pint of milk and a newspaper. “

After the release of “Titanic,” Winslet said she was focusing on popping up small independent films instead of jumping straight into another mainstream blockbuster.

“I was still learning to act. I had only been doing this since I was 17, so I always felt like I wasn’t really ready to do a lot of big jobs in Hollywood, ”she says. “I didn’t want to make mistakes, I didn’t want to mess up. I wanted to be there for the long game. So I tried strategically to find smaller things, just so I could understand the business a little better and also understand myself a little better and maintain a certain degree of privacy and dignity.

Winslet has spoken about the physical exam as an actor before, including the pressure to look a certain way.

“When I was younger, when I was 14, a drama teacher told me I would do well if I was happy to settle for the fat girl roles,” Winslet said, accepting a BAFTA awards in 2016, The Guardian reported. “So what I always feel in those moments is that any young woman who’s ever been shot by a teacher, by a friend, even by a parent, doesn’t listen to any of that, because it’s what I did – I kept going and overcame my fears and overcame my insecurities.

She also spoke about her “no-retouch” policy regarding her photos in advertising campaigns and movie posters, and said she has always worked to instill body confidence in her 20-year-old daughter, Mia. .

“I stand in front of the mirror and say to Mia, ‘We are so lucky to have a shape. We are so lucky that we are curvy. We’re so lucky to have good bums, ”Winslet said in 2015.“ And she’ll say, ‘Mom, I know, thank you my God.’ It works, what I do. It is paying off. “