Kate Winslet is sitting on a mauve couch, looking outside the window of her penthouse suite in the Soho Grand Hotel. Her view of New York City’s infinite number of highrise condos and skyscrapers is offset by the sound of metal cranes droning away on a nearby building in progress. Rather than getting perturbed by the swirling mess of dirt, gravel and noise below her, Winslet is fascinated by the racket. “Look at all this construction!” she says, kicking up her well-worn black Louboutin heel. “With all that debris, they might as well be building a bloody empire!”
It’s easy to understand why the 33-year-old actor is so intrigued by the breaking of new ground—she’s been doing it on the silver screen for more than a decade. However, out of the more than 25 films she’s starred, costarred and cameo’d in (as well as helped narrate), nothing has elevated Winslet’s own empire like her two most recent pictures: The Reader and Revolutionary Road.
In her Oscar-winning role in The Reader, Winslet skilfully plays a German streetcar attendant–cum–Nazi guard in her late 30s who has an affair with a teenage boy who is so scandalously young, he could be a Jonas brother. In Revolutionary Road, Winslet tackles the psyche of an equally complex woman—a psychologically unstable newlywed living in Connecticut in the 1950s—someone who’s living in a world that makes Desperate Housewives look like High School Musical. Both films are hard-to-watch yet satisfying-to-finish pieces of cinema, showcasing Winslet’s range in a way that blows her Titanic persona right out of the water. Which is a tad ironic, as Revolutionary Road—directed by Winslet’s husband, Sam Mendes—reunites the British actor with her former Titanic costar and beloved friend, Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays her husband in the film. The three of them grew so close during the making of the project that Winslet now wears her wedding rings from Mendes as well as a mysteriously inscribed piece of gold gifted to her by DiCaprio shortly after the film was made. “Yes, [Leo’s ring] is engraved on the inside,” she maintains, “but I’m not going to tell you what it says,” she adds cheekily.
Another mystery is how Winslet kept her professionalism intact while filming Revolutionary Road’s pivotal love scenes with DiCaprio (while her husband directed them). It seems as difficult a job as the one she had trying to lure the average moviegoer into sympathizing with her portrayal of a Nazi war criminal in The Reader. Yet, Winslet’s talent, a byproduct of what she deems “a manifestation of something within me and an accumulation of life experience,” managed to get her through both scripts without a nervous breakdown and attract audiences and critics with equal force. One look at the recent additions to her trophy case—two Golden Globes, two BAFTAs, two SAGs and one Oscar—and even the most jaded Hollywood casting agent will tell you Winslet can make any script work.
“Yes, [all the awards] are absolutely an acknowledgment of our hard work and a testament to the long hours we’ve pulled,” Winslet says, referring to Mendes, who not only had to hear her talk shop about Revolutionary Road nonstop (on set and in bed) but she asserts he was the one who urged her to accept the lead in The Reader after Nicole Kidman dropped out of the project.
“But I don’t think [the awards] have necessarily boosted my confidence. If I was younger and going through this particular time, it might make a definitive impact. I know who I am now,” she states. This is probably one of the reasons why she decided to take a break from acting this year and signed on to be the spokesperson for Lancôme’s Trésor Sheer Fragrance perfume. It’s a job that brings with it a lot more glamour and a lot less drama than the emotionally wrought scenes she usually slaves over. “The biggest cliché about acting is that it is glamorous,” she says. “The process is wonderful, but there is nothing glamorous about it.”
Winslet was easily convinced by Lancôme to step off the set for a while, and she cites the company’s previous spokespeople as inspiration—namely, Oscar-winning actor Juliette Binoche and esteemed icon Isabella Rossellini. “I admire the fact that [Lancôme] has chosen women like them, since they are risk takers and powerful, warm souls. I’ve met them on several occasions and I know they are women who are comfortable in their own skin, strong-minded and passionate. There is no point in having a pretty face if you have an ugly spirit.”
"The Amazing Kate" has been edited for FLARE.com; the complete story appears in the May 2009 issue of FLARE.
The 33-year-old actress has now been asked to appear in advertisements of the brand’s Rénergie skin care and L’Absolu Rouge makeup lines.
The Oscar winning actress is currently the spokesmodel for their Trésor perfume,
There is no information on who will shoot the ads but legendary fashion photographer, Peter Lindbergh shot her in the recent Tresor campaign.
These new campaigns will launch in the U.S. in July and in Asia in September and for rest of the world in 2010. The Revolutionary Road actress has been working with the French beauty brand since 2007.
The 50 Most Glamorous Women of 2009
5/11/09 at 2:45 PM
Glamour magazine selected its top 50 most glamorous women of the yearfor the June issue, based on a panel of judges and online reader polls. Of course, we're barely halfway through the year and a yearlong retrospective seems a bit presumptuous. But it's the winner's circle that leaves us perplexed. Kates flank both ends — Winslet tops the list at No. 1....
... Now Director James Cameron and actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet have contributed to a $30,000 fund which will ensure Millvina is financially secure for the rest of her days.....
....Mullan's challenge was first carried by the Sunday Independent and resulted in worldwide coverage from which the newspaper was contacted by the management of Leonardo DiCaprio. Mullan was also aided by Dublin businessman, Paul Coghlan, a friend of the famous fashion designer, Ben de Lisi, who, at Coghlan's request, brought the plight of Millvina Dean to Kate Winslet's attention.
Celebrities including Tony Blair and the actress Kate Winslet have contributed to a book of butterfly pictures compiled in memory of a young woman who died from leukaemia.....
I worked with Kate on her first movie, Heavenly Creatures, in 1993. She was 17 years old, and people are always asking me, "Did you have any idea she'd become a movie star?" To be truthful, I did. It was evident to everyone who worked on the movie that Kate was going to have a huge career.
When we cast Kate, she had been making sandwiches in a London lunch bar in between auditions for film and TV work. Kate instantly impressed us with her fierce intelligence, her mature view of the world (which was way beyond her years) and, above all, her courage as an actor. Kate is fearless; her willingness to take risks, unflinching honesty and ability to slip inside the skin of a character and bring flawed and real people to life onscreen are rare talents. She commits 110% to a role. You cannot ask for more.
My family and I have seen Kate, 33, socially over the years, and I'm always delighted to find her unchanged by all the nuttiness that surrounds movie actors. She's always been the Kate we know and love, a down-to-earth person with a wicked sense of humor who will happily lie on the floor playing with the kids.
Back in 1993, we had a strong sense of what was in store for Kate, but it took a while. Miramax delayed the release of Heavenly Creatures for almost a year, and we had no choice but to wait for the film's premiere at the Venice Film Festival. Kate was right on the cusp of a wonderful career, but for a few months, she couldn't get work and had to return to her job at the lunch bar. It must have been terribly frustrating for her, but Kate never does anything she doesn't believe in, and I bet they were fantastic sandwiches!
The Critics Choice Awards are voted for by 200 TV and Radio and Online Film Critics from the US and Canada.
Kate Winslet steals the headline for us with her win of Best Supporting Actress in “The Reader” but she was unable to attend the event because she was attending the David Letterman Show for filming. Anne Hathaway had the dubious honour of sharing the Best Actress Award with non other than Meryl Streep.
Sorry a lot of the pics aren't showing my PB exceeded its bandwidth :pout: It should be up in a day or so :D Im going to tweak the OP a bit when it does with the updated stuff we gotten :)
Elizabeth_88
07-10-2009 03:27 AM
yay so glad we used that title lol
katewinsletfan.com have also added the Harpar's Bazaar photoshoot
Jojo
07-10-2009 04:25 AM
Thx 4 starting the new 1, Jess :hug:
*PassionateJ*
07-11-2009 11:25 AM
NP :)
Im going to try and work on updating/tweaking the OP later since my PB is up again :yay: :lol:
Jojo
07-11-2009 01:00 PM
:yay:
*PassionateJ*
07-14-2009 09:51 PM
OP is updated :yay: Wow that took a lot of work :lol: Anything to avoid studying :eek:
One Love
07-15-2009 03:37 AM
Jess, the OP is absolutely gorgeous. You did a great job. :clap:
Jojo
07-15-2009 06:03 AM
:clap: Jess, the OP is killer! :thumbs_up: Excellent work, my friend! :back_hug:
*PassionateJ*
07-15-2009 06:52 AM
Thanks guys happy you like it :group_hug:
Jojo
07-19-2009 12:32 PM
Okay, this is my last BUMP for the night. I'll continue my bumping spree another day. :lol: