Kate Winslet – 'English rose' still fragrant after two decades

Acting since the mid-1990s, “Titanic” star Rose is now considered one of the top stars with quality films released every year.

When Heavenly Creatures was released to rave reviews in 1994, one film critic said of its 17-year-old lead actress, Kate Winslet, “She will always be remembered as Juliet and will never be a big star.” Less than three years later, that comment was rendered ridiculous when Winslet played Rose in the timeless romance Titanic, which captivated millions of moviegoers around the world.

Today, Kate Winslet is a superstar of world cinema with seven Oscar nominations and one win.

Kate Winslet.

Career turning point with “Titanic”

Kate Winslet’s awards include an Oscar, an Emmy, four Golden Globes, and a Grammy (for narration). In 2005, she set a record as the youngest actress to receive four Oscar nominations at age 29 (a mark recently broken by Jennifer Lawrence). In 2008, the star also stood on the Golden Globe podium twice to receive two different awards: “Best Actress” (Drama) for Revolutionary Road and “Best Supporting Actress” for The Reader. Before Winslet, only two other actresses had accomplished this feat at the Golden Globes.

Winslet's seven Oscar nominations came for her roles in Sense and Sensibility (1995), Titanic (1997), Iris (2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Little Children (2006), The Reader (2008) and most recently Steve Jobs (2015). The British actress's acting talent was evident from a young age. She was born on October 5, 1975, and began acting in commercials at the age of 12. From that moment on, directors saw Winslet's potential and called her "a natural talent."

After appearing in several plays on the London stage, Winslet was cast in Peter Jackson's Heavenly Creatures. She recalled her breakthrough: “After reading the script in the car, I turned to my father and said, 'I have to get this part,' and he supported me. I had never felt such a connection to a character and was so determined to audition. Then one day, while I was working at a food stall to support myself, the producers called and told me I had the part. That moment made me burst into tears and I couldn't continue working because I was so happy.”

Although Winslet earned her first Oscar nomination a year later for Sense and Sensibility, her real breakthrough came with Titanic. At the time, director James Cameron was casting the female lead for the $200 million blockbuster. After beauties like Gwyneth Paltrow and Claire Danes turned down the role of Rose, Winslet saw this as a golden opportunity for her to become famous.

Kate Winslet's charming image as Rose in "Titanic" nearly 20 years ago.

She initially tried to “woo” Cameron by writing to him from England through her agent. Cameron invited Winslet to Hollywood for an audition, and she continued to make the director remember her by giving him a rose with a card that read “From Rose.” According to Entertainment Weekly, Winslet even called Cameron and said, “I’m Rose. I don’t know why you’re trying to meet any other actress besides me.” That determination made Cameron decide to give Winslet a chance, even though he was initially skeptical that she was the one.

When it was released, Titanic became the first film in history to surpass the $1 billion mark and won 11 Oscars. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who played Jack and Rose, became stars and were sought after everywhere they went. At 22, Winslet had a bright future ahead of her in Hollywood. But she decided not to move to the US and instead settled in England: “I’m an English girl and I love England. Although I’m very ambitious and care about what I do, I’m not a winner. In the ‘post-Titanic’ period, the most important thing I want to keep is not money but the love of cinema – the thing that made me start acting when I was a little girl.”

Britain's top star

Kate Winslet's roles in Finding Neverland, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Reader or Revolutionary Road... show the class of a top actress. In real life, Winslet is also a modest star and once surprised many people by traveling by subway instead of using limousines. However, two failed marriages made this beauty limit her acting to spend time taking care of her family. After a few lackluster films and appearing in two parts of the Divergent franchise, Kate Winslet had a memorable role in Steve Jobs.

Winslet’s Joanna Hoffman is Apple’s marketing director and right-hand woman to Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender). Through three product launches centered on Jobs, viewers see Joanna as both gentle and determined. She is the glue that keeps Jobs grounded and points out realities he is too proud to acknowledge.

Joanna’s soft feminine side makes for an interesting contrast to the cold, pragmatic Steve. Joanna may be accommodating to Jobs’s excessive demands at work, but she refuses to let him be cold to his daughter, who craves a father’s love. Despite being a British actress, Winslet speaks English with a perfect Polish accent in the film. Her portrayal of Joanna earned her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Joanna in "Steve Jobs" is Kate Winslet's latest role.

Coincidentally, her Titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio has also become a superstar and is nominated for an Oscar this year. When she auditioned for the role of Rose and first met DiCaprio on set, Winslet was so impressed with him that she told James Cameron: “This guy is amazing. Even if you don’t choose me, you have to choose him.” Since Titanic, the two have become such close friends that Winslet’s three children affectionately call DiCaprio “Uncle Leo.”

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards held at the end of January, DiCaprio moved many people when he hugged Winslet after his name was announced. It would be a perfect ending to this year's film awards season for fans of the duo if that touching image is repeated at the upcoming Oscars.

According to VNE