Actress Kate Winslet has been a part of multiple legacy films and has garnered unanimous appreciation in all of them. The British actress has collaborated with many noted directors such as Peter Jackson, Todd Field, Nancy Myers, Sam Mendes, and of course, James Cameron. She also had the honor of starring in late actor Alan Rickman’s second and final directorial A Little Chaos.
Alan Rickman, who is popularly known for the portrayal of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series, has only directed two feature films in his career. A Little Chaos was his second directorial after 1997’s The Winter Guest. This was also his final film before his death in 2016. While he was extremely jovial about Kate Winslet’s casting in the film, the actor-director was initially hesitant.
Alan Rickman And Kate Winslet Reunite In A Little Chaos
Kate Winslet has had a distinguished career with many accolades to her name. Starting her career at the age of fifteen in BBC’s Dark Season, Winslet made his cinematic debut with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures. The film saw her play the notorious juvenile murderer Juliet Hulme, who conspired with her friend Pauline Parker to kill the latter’s mother, Honorah Rieper.
After this, she was immediately cast as Marianne Dashwood in Ang Lee’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. It was here that she first collaborated with Alan Rickman, who plays Marianne’s suitor Colonel Brandon. The film garnered positive reviews, especially for Winslet’s performance. The film also earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and won her a BAFTA for the same.
Twenty years later, the pair of Colonel Brandon and Marianne Ashwood reunited in Alan Rickman’s directorial, A Little Chaos. Another British period piece, the film follows Andre Le Notre, an architect who is tasked with designing the Gardens of Versailles by King Louis XVI, and his relationship with landscape designer Sabina de Barra.
Alan Rickman returned to directing after 1997’s The Winter Guest and the film was his last before he died in 2016 due to complications with pancreatic cancer. He was ecstatic about casting Winslet as the lead actress in the film. However, in his final interview, he revealed some doubts that he had during the casting process.
Why Did Alan Rickman Change His Mind About Kate Winslet?
In his final interview with Josh Horowitz of MTV News done during the promotions for A Little Chaos, Rickman expressed his adoration for Kate Winslet and said that he could not imagine anyone else playing the role. “I can advise people in that direction,” he said when Horowitz appreciated Winslet and said that anyone would cast her if given the chance.
When asked if she was the first preference for the role, Rickman revealed that when the story was conceived, Winslet was far too young. He said,
“When I first started reading it and then I wasn’t free to read anything, she would have been way too young. So, in a way, it happened the way it was meant to because I can’t imagine anyone else playing it. It had to wait until she was of a certain age.”
When Rickman and Winslet first collaborated, the actress had still not tasted the stardom she now possesses as this was before blockbusters such as Titanic, Hamlet, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Two weeks into filming A Little Chaos, the actor announced that she was pregnant. However, the makers were still convinced of her and proceeded to go ahead with her as the lead actress.
“She is playing someone who couldn’t have existed,” said Rickman as the film involves actual characters who existed in real life.
“We have to make people believe that this is a real person. I had many people who came and asked me if (Sabina) was a real person. (Kate) does the homework….and she opens her mouth and you believe it. She is not afraid to get wet and dirty.”
This incredible quality of Winslet seems to have worked in her favor as she got to play the role despite her pregnancy. She had the rare honor of being part of the final film of an accomplished actor and director who is dearly missed by the global film community.
Source: Variety
