Kate Winslet, the famous actress, has faced body shame throughout her successful career. But she first encountered this while working as a child star.
“I was a bit chubby,” she says. “When I started taking it seriously and got a children’s agent, I distinctly remember my drama teacher… and she said to me: ‘Well, honey, you’ll have a career if you’re willing to accept the role of the fat girl.’ BBC Radio 4 presents Desert Island Discs. “Look at me now,” the actress adds. “It’s shocking what people say to kids.”
Aside from body shaming, Kate also recalls the industry having double standards when it comes to sexuality, noting that she received advice she didn’t ask for when she was making her directorial debut, while a man doesn’t usually do that, says the actress.
There is “a lot we still have to learn” about the way we talk to women in films, they noted, noting that “so they might say things like: ‘Don’t forget to be confident in your choices.’
“And I kind of want to say: Don’t talk to me about confidence, because if that’s the one thing I’ve never lacked, it’s actually exactly that. This person wouldn’t say that to a guy.”
On the other hand, Kate also remembers how the media treated her after the Titanic made her a global star. “It was terrifying. There were people tapping on my phone. They were everywhere. And I was just alone. I was afraid to sleep,” she says.
Kate’s directorial debut, Goodbye Juneplays in theaters.