When Kate Winslet was fat-shamed, told she'd get only 'fat girl' roles

New Delhi

English actress Kate Winslet has been an accomplished, respected performer for a few decades now. Be it indie or commercial fare, she has shone everywhere. Most of all, she has chosen her characters carefully. Her heroines are strong, complicated, and driven in one sense or another. After rising to fame with James Cameron's 'Titanic', she has been a part of several acclaimed projects in more than three decades of her career. She won an Oscar in the Best Actress category for her performance in 2008's 'The Reader'. She also has an Emmy, for her performance in HBO's acclaimed performance in 'Mare of Easttown'.

But despite her talents and the praise she has received for her work, criticism has plagued her career, mostly related to her weight. It is only now, when body positivity is a widely accepted concept, that she no longer has to face ridiculous taunts about her body.

While speaking to UK's The Times, she revealed, "When I was younger, my agent would get calls saying, 'How’s her weight?' I kid you not. Even as a young hopeful in acting school, she was told by a teacher she'd have to settle for 'fat girl'."

Joan Rivers had infamously joked, "If Kate Winslet had dropped a few pounds, the Titanic would never have sunk."

Meanwhile, Winslet will soon be seen in James Cameron's 'Avatar: The Way of Water', which marks her reunion with the 'Titanic' director.

In a recent interview, Winslet revealed what prompted her to accept the offer. While speaking to Empire magazine, she said she loved the first movie. "The deeper themes it conveys about our declining planet, were extremely poignant, and that mattered to me. So, I had no reservations at all. Plus, I was jumping into a well-oiled machine, so I was excited to think that everything they had learned as filmmakers from the first movie, would have only been ironed out and amplified in its second go around. And that's fun!" she said. 

Also Read: 'Exceptional', 'Mindblowing': First reactions to 'Avatar' 2 are beyond good

In the answer to another question, she said that Cameron remains a "perfectionist" and that "part hasn't changed at all. And that is what makes his movies precise in every tiny detail. All those tiny components are huge when assembled, and it’s Jim’s vision and his determination that produces extraordinary filmmaking that will stand the test of time."

'Avatar: The Way of Water' continues the story of the mythical alien race called the Na'Vi. It brings back Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, and Matt Gerald from the first movie.  Sigourney Weaver also returns, but in a different role. Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Cowell, Oona Chaplin, CJ Jones, and also Vin Diesel join the cast. 

Cameron has also penned the script with Josh Friedman. 'The Way of Water' will be followed by at least two more sequels. 

'Avatar: The Way of Water' releases on December 16, 2022.