Kate Winslet isn’t Rose DeWitt Bukater from Titanic to everyone.
The Oscar winner appeared on The Tonight Show on Wednesday and revealed James Cameron’s 1997 disaster film isn’t at the top of the list for most of her fans — who purportedly preferred a 2006 romantic comedy and a Ricky Gervais series to her breakout role.
“People come up to me in the street more about The Holiday and the episode of Extras that I did than Titanic,” she told Jimmy Fallon. “I promise you. Especially at Christmas.”
“And actually what’s so lovely is that mothers and daughters came up to me in the grocery store and they said, ‘Oh Kate, we just love The Holiday, it’s our little ritual at Christmas.’ they sit down, it’s a tradition, and I just love that.”
The film stars Kate as Iris, a journalist who ends up on vacation in Los Angeles and develops an unexpected romance after swapping homes with Amanda, played by Cameron Diaz.
Kate, whose fame skyrocketed after Titanic grossed more than $2 billion, nonetheless still appreciates her Holiday fans.
“That’s something I never would have expected actually, the sort of mother-daughter connection around a film like that,” she said. “It’s so nice. It’s lovely.”
The British star’s turn in Titanic earned her the second of seven Oscar nominations. She went on to star in acclaimed films like The Reader and Steve Jobs, and was most recently seen in James Cameron’s Avatar sequel.
Avatar: The Way Of Water reported grossed more than $2.3 billion at the global box office — placing it in the third spot of most financially successful films of all time. The first Avatar reigns supreme on that list, while Titanic remains ranked at fourth.
When Jimmy Fallon exclaimed that she’s in “two of the biggest films ever made,” Kate couldn’t help but laugh — and said “why did you have to point that out?” Despite her humble disposition, the actor is nevertheless grateful for her decades-spanning success.
“I have to say I’ve just felt so blessed to have had this amazing career but also just to meet these phenomenal people,” she told the host. “That’s one of the loveliest things.”
