5 Ways Rose DeWitt Bukater Is Kate Winslet’s Best Role (& 5 Better Alternatives)

Currently, Kate Winslet is doing some of the best work in her career in HBO’s thrilling whodunit Mare of Easttown. Winslet, one of Hollywood’s most celebrated and beloved actors, has a filmography that most stars would envy. She excels at period pieces, dramatic vehicles, light-hearted Christmas comedies, and even big-budget blockbusters, and she makes it seem effortless.

Winslet has proven her versatility time and again. Still, to many people, she will always be Rose DeWitt Bukater, the tragic yet resourceful heroine in James Cameron’s blockbuster, Titanic. And while Titanic is one of the most important films of all time, Winslet’s filmography is packed with jewels that could all be considered her greatest performance.

Rose Is Best: Breakout Role

Winslet wasn’t a newcomer in 1997. In fact, she was already an Oscar nominee when she played Rose in Titanic, thanks to her charming turn as Marianne Dashwood in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility. However, Titanic propelled her to international stardom and made a bonafide star out of her.

Winslet’s romantic and magnetic performance enchanted audiences around the world. It also earned her a second Oscar nomination in the Lead Actress category and made her the most on-demand English actress in the business.

Juliet Hulme Is Better: Introducing Kate Winslet

While Sense and Sensibility was Winslet’s first Oscar nomination, her feature film debut was actually in 1994’s Heavenly Creatures. Directed by Peter Jackson and co-starring Melanie Linskey, it tells the story of two teenage friends who exact an act of bloody revenge after their parents separate them.

Based on a notorious real-life murder in New Zealand, Heavenly Creatures finds Winslet playing one of her darkest characters and showed a maturity beyond her years. It’s a spectacular film debut, one that assured Winslet was a star unlike any other.

Rose Is Best: Certified Leading Lady

Titanic’s success means several things for Winslet’s career. Firstly, it certified her reputation as a critical favorite and Academy darling. At twenty-two, she already had two Oscar nominations and was on her way to win one sooner rather than later.

Secondly, it established her as a certified leading lady, capable of carrying a film on her back. And not just any film, but a billion-dollar blockbuster. Titanic was truly a before and after for Winslet’s career, transforming her from a familiar yet underrated actress to an international and acclaimed superstar.

Mildred Pierce Is Better: Reinventing A Classic Character

It takes a very brave actress to step into a role already made iconic by another actress. Yet, Winslet did just that when she starred in the 2011 HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce. Based on the 1941 novel of the same name, it follows the life and struggles of the titular character as she tries to make a living and earn her daughter’s love and respect.
Screen icon Joan Crawford famously played Mildred Pierce in the beloved 1945 film-noir of the same name. Still, Winslet put her own spin on the character, reinventing it for modern-day audiences. The result was a nuanced and heartbreaking turn that earned her the Primetime Emmy Award for ‘Leading Actress in a Miniseries.’

Rose Is Best: A Timeless Romance

One of the most divisive parts of Titanic is its excessive use of melodrama. The film indeed uses a plethora of stereotypes and narrative tropes to tell its story. What prevents it from going into overkill is the earnest commitment of its two leading stars.

Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio share genuine, electric chemistry that makes their dramatic romance believable. They elevate the material and deliver a heartbreaking and compelling romance that will surely stand the test of time as one of the greatest in modern cinema.

April Wheeler Is Better: Dramatic Tour De-Force

Eleven years would pass before Winslet and Dicaprio shared the screen again, but it was worth the wait. The actors once again shared enviable and explosive chemistry, but they put it to a different use in Sam Mendes’ visceral tale of broken dreams.

Revolutionary Road tells the story of the crumbling marriage between Frank and April Wheeler. Uncomfortable with their lives yet still trying to save their family, April and Frank are troubled and complex characters. Winslet and DiCaprio go all in, delivering some of their most emotionally aggressive work. Revolutionary Road isn’t a pleasant viewing experience, but it’s worth it to see both actors chewing the scenery around them