Kate Winslet opens up on “terrible” media intrusion after Titanic fame

Kate Winslet has spoken about how she dealt with the “terrible” media intrusion and reporting after becoming famous as Rose in James Cameron’s epic film Titanic in 1997, according to the BBC.

The British actress and director said she was followed by paparazzi, her phone was tapped, and people even checked her trash bins and asked local shops what foods she bought to figure out if she was dieting, CE Report quotes ATA.

A few years later, she again attracted media attention after her separation from her husband.

Winslet said that ways to cope with media intrusion included “a good meal, a warm conversation, a good cup of coffee, and some music from Radiohead.”

“Life is much better if you do these things,” she said.

“When filming Titanic in my early twenties, I wasn’t in a very good mental state, mainly with my body,” she added.

“Although the filming experience was incredible, my world was completely turned upside down as soon as Titanic hit theaters. I wasn’t ready for that world,” Winslet said.

“I received negative comments about my appearance from an early age. I remember the nickname ‘the whale’ from my elementary school peers, and later, a drama teacher told me I would only get roles for healthy-looking girls if I wanted to become an actress,” she recalled.

From ages 15 to 19, Winslet said she occasionally went on diets.

“It was really unhealthy,” she said.

Once Titanic was released, she began seeing herself on the covers of newspapers and magazines.

“It was awful. People were tapping my phone. They were everywhere. And I was alone. I was scared even while sleeping,” she said.

Support from friends and close ones was how she got through that difficult period.

Speaking further about her media portrayal at the time, Winslet recalled how images of her on magazine covers were altered without her knowledge—a topic she had also addressed in the early 2000s.

Looking at those kinds of images, she thought: “I don’t look like that. My stomach isn’t flat. My legs aren’t that long. My chest isn’t that big. My arms aren’t that toned. What the hell is happening?”

“I didn’t want any young woman, even just one, to see that image and think, ‘Oh God, I want to look like that.’ That wasn’t me,” Winslet said.

Winslet also spoke about headlines published when it was revealed she was about to divorce her second husband, filmmaker Sam Mendes, in 2010.

“Paparazzi followed me in New York with my two small children, who wanted to know why Sam and I had separated,” she said.

“You just keep your mouth shut, keep your head down, and move on. You try to shield your children’s ears. You rely on your friends, you just keep going,” Winslet said when asked how she coped during that time.

Regarding her directorial debut with the film Goodbye June, written by her son Joe Anders, she said she had heard things that would never be said to a director (man).

As reported by CE Report, Christopher Nolan brought Homer’s Odyssey to IMAX.