Kate Winslet's 8 best films… from a sinking ship to Steve Jobs
BY Eleanor Dunn
1st Jan 2015 Film & TV
Kate Winslet’s astonishing versatility has captivated us for no less than 20 years, and she isn’t stopping anytime soon. We’ve compiled a collection of the finest moments in Winslet's film career.
You might consider her a modern British film icon. You might just think ‘she’s everywhere.’ Whichever way you look at it, there’s no denying this fascinating actor’s place in the big-screen big leagues.
Sense and Sensibility
Image via Fanpop
Winslet’s big-screen debut, this adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel saw her take on the character of the youngest Dashwood sister, Marianne, dressed head-to-toe in frills and curls. The young star was in good company, acting alongside Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant.
It is rumoured that on the first day of filming, director Ang Lee gave Kate Winslet a note that said "don't worry, you'll get better"—ouch! She certainly showed him, though…
Titanic
Image via Hello magazine
Hear the name Kate Winslet, and the Titanic theme song will automatically start playing in your head. This is the role that took her growing fame to dizzying heights. Kate Winslet plays refined redhead Rose, who reluctantly boards the HMS Titanic —the ‘unsinkable ship.’
On board, she meets Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio), a gorgeously gutsy troublemaker from third class. What follows is one of the most poignant and tragic love stories ever told. We’ll never let go, Kate…
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Image via film.com
By this point in her career, Kate was becoming unstoppable. Another phenomenal hit, Eternal Sunshine follows Clementine (Winslet) and Joel (Jim Carrey), whose relationship has turned more-than-a-tad sour.
The exes set out on a mission to erase each other from their memories; only to discover the true extent of what they might be losing if they succeed.
The Holiday
Image via Pintrest
Now a festive classic, this heart-warmer stars Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Jack Black. Kate plays Iris, an English rose who is seriously unlucky in love. When she agrees to swap houses with similarly lovesick LA-girl Amanda (Diaz) for the holiday season, both of their perspectives on life will change forever.
This was somewhat of a stripped-down role for Kate; no American accents, no high-action or exaggerated storylines—just an English girl trying to overcome a broken heart. If a big, warm hug could take the form of a seasonal film, it would be The Holiday.
The Reader
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This haunting drama showed us a new, profound dimension to Winslet’s skills as an actor. She plays Anna Schmidt, a recluse who begins an affair with a teenage boy in WWII Germany.
Anna disappears suddenly, leaving no trace and no explanation. Her lover doesn’t set eyes on her again until years later, when he is working on a court case pursuing horrific war crimes…
Revolutionary Road
Image via BBC
An adaptation of one of the greatest modern works of American literature, this devastating drama reunited the Oscar-winning duo of ‘Leo and Kate.’ They are the Wheelers, a young couple with two children living in '50s suburban Connecticut.
Desperate to escape the clutches of a monotonous, shallow existence, they make plans to drop everything and move to Paris. Revolutionary Road is a claustrophobic, piercing narrative of ‘what might have been’; the ultimate fable of a failed American Dream.
Steve Jobs
A very recent addition to Winslet’s list of varied and fascinating roles, this 2015 blockbuster profiles the cryptic founder of Apple. Winslet plays Joanna Hoffman, who she describes as "like [Jobs'] work wife."
It's another truly unique role for Winslet; the film follows the events surrounding three Apple product launches, and Steve Jobs' relationships and impact on those around him.
Her performance is highly emotionally charged; Winslet spent a lot of time with the real-life Joanna Hoffman, telling The Guardian "she misses [Jobs] terribly."
The Dressmaker
Image via The Dressmaker
Finally we reach the latest spot on the actor’s ever-expanding array of blockbusters. The Dressmaker is an Australian spaghetti western revenge comedy-drama (try saying that five times in a row).
Winslet plays cryptic femme fatale Myrtle "Tilly" Dunnage, who returns to a small outback town to care for her ill, unstable mother. It's a delicious, slick scramble of love, revenge, imagination and fate.
