It’s pretty crazy to think that it’s been more than 25 years since Kate Winslet had her breakout role in the film, “Heavenly Creatures.” Over that time span, she’s won an Oscar (along with various other prestigious awards), she’s starred in one of the biggest films of all time (“Titanic”), and a number of other acclaimed features that have gained her the status of being one of the very best performers in the industry. But even after more than two decades in the public eye, Winslet admits that she is still learning, particularly when it comes to social issues such as feminism and #MeToo.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, the actress discussed her latest film, “Ammonite,” which once again is putting her in the awards season conversation, and how her experience on that feature, combined with the rise of the #MeToo movement, has made her second guess working with folks like Woody Allen and Roman Polanski in the past.
“‘Ammonite’ has made me really aware of being even more committed to honoring what women want to be saying for themselves in films and how we really want to be portrayed, regardless of sexual orientation,” Winslet explained. “Because life is fucking short and I’d like to do my best when it comes to setting a decent example to younger women. We’re handing them a pretty fucked up world, so I’d like to do my bit in having some proper integrity.”
She continued, “It’s like, what the fuck was I doing working with Woody Allen and Roman Polanski? It’s unbelievable to me now how those men were held in such high regard, so widely in the film industry and for as long as they were. It’s fucking disgraceful. And I have to take responsibility for the fact that I worked with them both. I can’t turn back the clock. I’m grappling with those regrets but what do we have if we aren’t able to just be fucking truthful about all of it?”
We have seen a number of actors come out and disavow their previous work with Allen and Polanski, specifically after the #MeToo movement brought those filmmakers’ controversial pasts back into the public eye. And though many film fans are sad that it took this long for actors and other industry types to reckon with the past accusations and crimes committed by people in Hollywood, particularly when it comes to Allen’s alleged sexual abuse and Polanski’s rape conviction, it’s still good to see someone with star power like Winslet speaking so bluntly about the topic.
It should also be mentioned that Winslet initially was one of the actors that defended her work with Allen and Polanski. In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, she said, “Of course one thinks about it. But at the same time, I didn’t know Woody and I don’t know anything about that family. As the actor in the film, you just have to step away and say, I don’t know anything, really, and whether any of it is true or false. Having thought it all through, you put it to one side and just work with the person. Woody Allen is an incredible director. So is Roman Polanski. I had an extraordinary working experience with both of those men, and that’s the truth.”
“Ammonite” is currently doing the festival rounds and will be released in select theaters on November 13.
