Kate Winslet. (source: TASR/AP)
A grande dame of world cinema, KATE WINSLET is aware that her opinion is capable of shaping public opinion. When she talks, you get the impression that had she been a politician, she would have been able to hold a debate on any topic, but at the same time you can't help but feel that she has the silly soul of a young girl inside her and can't quite hide it.
She was very happy when asked about empathy and the upbringing she received at home. We talked about how she was making a film about war photographer Lee Miller, whose work was a Holocaust testimony, and is known for undressing in Hitler's bathroom and washing off the accumulated dirt in his bathtub after visiting the Dachau camp.
In addition to starring as Lee in the film, Winslet also produced the film of the same name. Her 10-year-old son saw her fighting to finally make it happen his entire life. Sometimes, he asks her if she still thinks about Miller. And she tells him the truth; that she does.
Although Lee Miller had problems with alcohol, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and was unable to have a full-fledged relationship with her son, Winslet sees many traits in Lee that she readily identifies with. The film was nominated for the BAFTA award in the Outstanding British Film category. In an interview with the Sme daily, she talked about the production process as exactly the kind of experience she needed when about to turn 50.
In the interview, you will learn:
What she found in the archives of the war photographer,
what she thinks about Miller's photo in Hitler's bathtub,
what she thinks about male protectionism,
what prejudices she encountered in the movie industry,
how far is she willing to go when it comes to work,
what she will never give up,
why she thinks she's lucky when about to turn 50.
Are you afraid of war? When we two were small, there was a threat of World War III.
I'm afraid that today the threat of war is more concrete than back then. I feel sorry for young people, for the world they live in today, for our children. I imagine how uncertain they are about their ideas about the future, and it makes me sad. It's not just war that threatens them. We did not have to fear climate change, we did not have to ask ourselves whether our children would suffer. Unfortunately, they are already asking such questions. Isn't that terrible?
If the threat of war is so present in our current lives, why did it take so long for Lee's film to be made?
We wanted to be 100 percent satisfied with the script. Back when we weren't, we needed more money for a new draft. I've learned what it's like for an independent production to make a film; money was not a given. I had to go to all business meetings, make all the calls.
Why was it so hard to convince investors?
Many were men and they asked me why should they be interested in this woman, why they should like her. It was frustrating. It's true that she struggled with alcohol and that she had PTSD, but they didn't like that she was a fighter and how determined she was to expose war crimes. If you look her up on Wikipedia, the first lines you'll read say she was a model. At first, that made me extremely angry. A former model, lover and muse of Man Ray. The same thing happened to singer Marianne Faithfull, a former girlfriend of Mick Jagger. To hell with it, I thought, I'm here to change this attitude towards women. It was a great privilege for me to introduce her to people - and in a different way than through the male gaze. I didn't make her a victim, I didn't make her a sexual object. Lee went to war at a mature age and showed Vogue readers pictures of what happened during World War II. It inspired many women to raise their daughters in the same spirit. They encouraged them that they could be strong, independent, principled and at the same time empathetic.
One of her legendary pictures is the one showing her entering Hitler's bathtub in a house he had been in a few hours earlier, and taking a shower. Can you imagine doing something like that?
It's important to know two things. For six weeks she had nowhere to wash herself, nor the opportunity to change clothes. No hot water. And most importantly, she was in Dachau that morning. I think her mind understood the situation perfectly. She realised the symbolism of getting rid of all the dirt, the mud on her shoes, that she had brought from the camp right into his house. It was a great way to get revenge.
