Every movie fanatic out there is familiar with the classic scene in the James Cameron-directed Titanic where Rose is on top of a door in icy cold water saying that she’ll “Never let go” of Jack. The movie came out in 1997 and to this date, the following topic is up for a fresh debate – was there space for Jack on the floating door or not?! The people are divided.
Well, actress Kate Winslet who experienced the scenario first hand has something to say about it. Apparently, people were so ruthless as they went to lengths to condemn Jack’s drowning that the line between real and reel disappeared. The actress revealed that she was fat-shamed after the movie’s release and wishes she would’ve stood up for herself.
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Kate Winslet Fat-Shamed for Iconic Titanic Scene
Appearing on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Kate Winslet talked about how people would keep commenting about her weight saying that was the reason Leonardo DiCaprio couldn’t get on the floating door. She stated, “Apparently I was too fat.”
Winslet added that if only she could turn the time back around and go back to her Titanic days, she would raise her voice against the unnecessary and hateful comments of journalists and tell them that she is a young woman with a changing body.
“They were so mean. I wasn’t even f**king fat. If I could turn back the clock, I would have used my voice in a completely different way. … I would have said to journalists, I would have responded, I would have said, ‘Don’t you dare treat me like this. I’m a young woman, my body is changing, I’m figuring it out, I’m deeply insecure, I’m terrified, don’t make this any harder than it already is.’ That’s bullying, you know, and actually borderline abusive, I would say.”
Putting an end to the dilemma of whether there was space for Jack on the door or not, Winslet stated that while there was surely space for them both, the door wouldn’t have stayed afloat if both the lovers were on it. At least the door saved one-half of the pair!
Despite the hate, Winslet received for her weight, she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the movie. Even though she didn’t win, her contribution surely played a part in Titanic winning eleven Oscars at the 1998 Academy Awards.
Kate Winslet Talks about Bullying
During a motivational speech directed to children, Winslet stated that growing up she was given the name, “Blubbers” and the bullying didn’t stop even when she first started pursuing her career in Hollywood. She stated that casting agents would tell her to be content with the fact that she was lucky to even be acting, even if they were “fat-girl parts.”
Winslet continued that even though the situation around women’s bodies has gotten better, there is still a long way to go. She stated that it was irresponsible to feed young girls the idea of supposed perfection, adding that everyone’s beautiful in their own shape.
“It’s such an irresponsible thing to do and it feeds directly into young women aspiring to ideas of perfection that don’t exist. I just wish there weren’t quite so many comments on the physical form of actresses. … You know, bodies are bodies. Everyone’s beautiful however they are and whatever they came with, you know. It still drives me kind of crazy. I definitely think we can do better with that stuff.”
More power to Winslet for standing up and speaking about the unfair expectations that are still prevalent in the industry. Surely young women wanting to pursue a career in acting will get inspired by her!
Titanic is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Happy, Sad, Confused Podcast
