Rising to fame with Titanic, Kate Winslet mesmerized her audience with her versatile acting skills and phenomenal performance. The actress thus helmed several auspicious awards and even earned global recognition for her classic hits. Considered one of the greatest actresses of her generation, Winslet however never bothered about turning down the $289M controversial Oscar-winning movie that later went to Gwyneth Paltrow.
Evidently, Kate Winslet was sought to appear in the critically acclaimed 1998 movie, Shakespeare In Love. However, despite realizing the great opportunities that the movie had in store for her, the actress purposefully refused to take up the role. Guess why she turned down such an iconic role.
Kate Winslet Turned Down Shakespeare In Love
After gaining global recognition following her appearance in James Cameron’s classic hit, Titanic Kate Winslet was offered iconic roles in big-budget movies. However, the actress had always been fond of “soul-searching” flicks, therefore Winslet often appeared in versatile roles that brought out her phenomenal performance. Evidently, witnessing her skills, John Madden eyed the actress for the iconic role in Shakespeare In Love.
While the movie had a great script and presented amazing opportunities, Kate Winslet purposefully refused to be a part of the $289M movie. Meeting with Winslet, Madden recalled,
“She read the script and got it completely. I had a lunch with her, where she was ecstatic about it. And then a week later, she called up and said, ‘I don’t think I can.’”
Despite John Madden’s persuasion, Kate Winslet was adamant about her decision. Constantly pushing away the project, the actress eventually turned down the Oscar-winning project, once and for all. “She felt unnerved by it, and she stepped out,” Madden recalled. That’s when Gwyneth Paltrow was offered her career-changing role and she ended up playing Viola in the $289M Shakespeare In Love, for which she went in to win an Oscar in the Best Actress category.
Kate Winslet’s Reasons For Refusing The Shakespeare In Love
While Shakespeare In Love turned out to be a groundbreaking project for Gwyneth Paltrow that even won her an Oscar, Kate Winslet refusing the role was truly unbelievable. The Titanic actress is often known for realizing the potential of a film by reading the script. Thus, it appears weird as to why she turned down the Oscar-winning project.
Apparently, Kate Winslet had solid reasons for refusing the role. During an interview, the actress mentioned how she had been looking forward to working on a fulfilling project that might save her soul. Thus, Winslet interestingly turned down Shakespeare In Love, for the indie film, Hideous Kinky, which ultimately made just over $1M at the box office.
However, one reason that stood out and impacted Winslet’s decision was her horrific Titanic memories. Speaking with Josh Horowitz, Kate Winslet reflected upon Titanic’s 25th anniversary and recalled hearing public comments about her physicality. “Apparently I was too fat” people commented in regards to the reason Leonardo DiCaprio couldn’t get on the door.
Feeling insecure about her body, the actress wished she could say,
“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.”
Thus, realizing how people are going to criticize her no matter what, Winslet chose to work on projects that will set her soul free.
Source: Josh Horowitz, Variety
