The movie that made Kate Winslet feel like an imposter: “They’ve cast the wrong person”
Interested in acting from an early age, Kate Winslet began her career modestly, appearing in several British television roles. Yet, when she was 19, she landed a leading role in Heavenly Creatures, directed by Peter Jackson, helping her to break through into the film industry.
Since then, Winslet has become a world-famous star, rising to ultimate acclaim when she appeared in the cinematic phenomenon Titanic. It became, for a period, the highest-grossing movie of all time, with people flocking to see the epic, romantic disaster movie on the big screen. Winslet left an indelible mark on cinema history with her performance, which included many iconic moments, from the nude painting session to the tragedy of letting Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack go.
Following the success of Titanic, Winslet opted for various period dramas and indie movie roles, going against the expected trajectory of her career as a blockbuster star. However, as the years have passed, the actor has balanced complex character studies with some more lighthearted films or high-budget popcorn flicks. Due to her varied choices, she has continued to assert herself as a major Hollywood player, but there was a time when she felt much less confident in her abilities.
After the popularity of Heavenly Creatures, which earned Winslet several awards, you’d think that she would have felt a newfound sense of security in her job as an actor. But with her next role, she was left wondering, “What on earth am I doing here?” It seems that imposter syndrome affects even the most talented famous figures, yet Winslet didn’t let it stop her from giving a fantastic performance, and she subsequently ended up earning an Oscar nomination.
The film was Sense and Sensibility, based on Jane Austen’s beloved novel, which actor Emma Thompson had written the screenplay for. Ang Lee took care of the direction, but it was Thompson who recognised Winslet’s brilliance. After auditioning for a small role in the movie, Thompson decided she’d be better suited to play Marianne Dashwood, one of the most prominent characters in the film.
Winslet was excited, having grown up watching Thompson on screen. She revealed, “I knew that Emma was adapting Sense and Sensibility and had always wanted to work with her because I remember watching The Tall Guy with my younger sister Beth when I was about ten-years-old and thinking, ‘My God, this is such a ballsy, brilliant actress. I’d love to work with her one day.’ So that was the driving force behind it really.”
Yet, while she was on set, she couldn’t help but worry that she was out of her depth. “It was absolutely totally and utterly overwhelming, and honestly, there was not a day that went by when we were filming Sense and Sensibility that I didn’t sit there and think, ‘What on earth am I doing here?’ I wanted to be on the phone to my mother. ‘Mum, come and get me. I shouldn’t be here. They’ve cast the wrong person, I’m sure.’”
Appearing alongside many acclaimed stars, Winslet wasn’t sure she had the experience to appear in the film. “I mean, there’s Emma Thompson, there’s Hugh Grant, Imelda Staunton, Imogen Stubbs, Alan Rickman, all these wonderful actors that I always respected and admired and suddenly I’m working with them and I’m thinking, ‘Something has gone wrong here.’”
However, she needn’t have worried. The movie earned her an Oscar nomination and won her a Bafta, cementing her as one of the most exciting new stars of the 1990s.
