Kate Winslet wrestled with her fame after the monumental success of “Titanic.”
The actor, who was in her early 20s when the film came out, revealed how she handled the overnight attention she received from it in a candid interview with Porter magazine published on Monday.
“I felt like I had to look a certain way, or be a certain thing, and because media intrusion was so significant at that time, my life was quite unpleasant,” she said.
“Journalists would always say, ‘After “Titanic,” you could have done anything and yet you chose to do these small things,’” Winslet continued. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, you bet your fuckin’ life I did! Because, guess what, being famous was horrible.”
Despite the increased awareness of her star status, Winslet said she was “grateful, of course.” But now, she thinks fame is “such a ridiculous word” and said she wears her celebrity “really lightly.”
“It’s not a burden, any of it,” Winslet said. ”[‘Titanic’] continues to bring people huge amounts of joy. The only time I am like, ‘Oh God, hide,’ is if we are on a boat somewhere.”
The Oscar winner spoke with Vogue last year about the scrutiny she faced when she was younger and said she was “consistently told I was the wrong shape.” However, she told the outlet that things are changing in the industry.
“Young actresses now — fuck me — they are unafraid. It makes me so proud,” the “Avatar 2” actor said. “And I think, Yes, all the shit flinging, all the struggle, all the using my voice for years, often being finger-pointed at and laughed at — I don’t give a shit!”
“It was all bloody worth it,” Winslet added. “Because the culture is changing in the way that I couldn’t in my wildest dreams have imagined in my 20s.”