“It was reattached by miracle surgery”: Brutal Struggle Kate Winslet’s Actor Dad Faced Including Almost Losing His Foot in a Freak Accident
- Kate Winslet speaks very highly of her parents and is grateful that they took her dream very seriously.
- The actress recalled one piece of advice her father gave her very early on and she follows it to this date.
- Kate Winslet loves being her real self on-screen.
Regarded as one of the most influential actresses in the industry, Kate Winslet is known for portraying strong and complex women characters on-screen. Winslet appeared in a science fiction movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, in 2004, which proved to be a turning point in her career.
But the actress will forever be known for her portrayal of Rose DeWitt Bukater in James Cameron’s Titanic opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. Kate Winslet recently appeared in one of her passion projects, Lee, which is adapted from Antony Penrose’s The Lives of Lee Miller. The actress recently shared she loves being her authentic self on-screen and how her father’s advice has stayed with her.
Kate Winslet shares one piece of advice her father gave her, and she lives by that
In a recent interview with CBS News, Kate Winslet, who appeared as Lee Miller in the recently released movie Lee, shared that while growing up, her father, Roger Winslet, who was a struggling actor, often gave her one piece of advice that she follows to this day.
You’re only as good as your last gig.
The actress explained that he would sort of hop from job to job, and then he’d do part-time work to make ends meet in the meantime. But she recalled that the thing that she finds interesting is that even if there was so little with them, one could go around and see that her family was happy.
Winslet was a 16-year-old working at a grocery store when she got her first movie, Heavenly Creatures. But after she filmed the movie, she went right back to making sandwiches. The host asked her if this felt like a moment where she would question everything, to which she said no because her father had made it pretty normal for her. The actress explained,
My dad would do jobs, and he’d go back to tarmacking the roads or working as a postman. So I thought, oh well, that’s what you do as an actor, you know. If you’re lucky, you get a job, and then you go back to a day job.
Kate Winslet’s father, despite struggling in his days, had instilled a sense of confidence and courage in his kids, as after his horror boat accident, he came out of a miracle surgery. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the actress recalled that when she was 11 years old, her father was involved in the terrifying ordeal, and his foot was severed off. (via The Mirror)
He lost his foot—it was severed by a coil of rope. That was extremely awful. It was reattached by miracle surgery, but that was phenomenally hard, and at that point, we were supported by the Actor’s Children’s Trust.
Kate Winslet calls herself one of the most unlikely success stories. She has always spoken very highly of her parents, especially with the fact that they took her dream to become an actress very seriously. When she landed Heavenly Creatures, she said her father assured her that she’d get the part, and that boosted her confidence, and, well, she did get the part.
Kate Winslet talks about being her authentic self for Lee
During the interview, the actress, who is now 49 years old, plays strong characters and has developed armor, shared what people said to her when she took the role of Lee Miller.
People say, ‘Oh, you were so brave for this role. You didn’t wear any makeup. You had wrinkles’. Do we say to men, ‘Oh, you were so brave for this role? You grew a beard?’ No, we don’t.
Kate Winslet shared with the host that when the crew member asked her to sit straight because she was showing a lump, she simply told them she didn’t think Lee would have done that. Winslet mentioned that it’s important to know that Lee’s ease with her physical self was hard-won.
The Mirror also reports that the actress takes immense pride in displaying her age on-screen because she explained that it’s her life on her face and that is what matters to her. She noted that it wouldn’t even occur to her to cover that up. Kate Winslet is very much comfortable with her appearance as it is, and she makes it very clear.
Winslet mentioned that she wants to spend the next year doing 50 great, remarkable things, whether that’s a particular hike she has never done or acts of kindness.
Lee is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
