Fans probably remember Kate Winslet most as her ‘Titanic’ character, Rose. And it’s true that the movie was an epic hit of its era. At the same time, it was far from Winslet’s only role — and it wasn’t even her only role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
Though she did pass on a chance to star with Leo again later on, Kate kept busy with other projects that didn’t involve a doomed DiCaprio.
There was one film that may have slipped past fans’ radars, but which Kate says is still one of her favorite performances to date. While ‘Titanic’ came out in 1997, the film that still holds a place in Kate’s heart was released in 2004.
It was ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ that is lodged in Winslet’s memory as one of the most “fun” roles she’d ever played, the actress elaborated. Per EW, Kate appeared at a talk in 2017 to discuss an upcoming film but also dove into her history on-screen and her most memorable acting gigs.
One of the top roles she enjoyed was that of Clementine, the girl who falls in love with Jim Carrey’s character. Though some fans of Winslet only recall the movie as a bit disjointed and futuristic, that was purposeful.
The plot followed Kate as Clementine and Jim as Joel as they experience a breakup, erase their memories of one another, and meet again and agree to start over with their relationship.
Sounds simple, right? But the film used a series of flashbacks in a “nonlinear narrative” to explore the depth of the characters’ connection and shared memories. Though the couple reconnects at the end of the film, and finds out the truth about their pasts, Kate doesn’t think that the story was truly over.
At her panel discussion, Winslet explained that she would love to play the character again to “see Clementine as a 42-year-old woman.”
Kate went on to say that she’d love to know what happened to Clementine and surmised that the character would have experienced some intense growth in the years between, regardless of what happened to her relationship with Joel.
Kate imagined that Clementine would have “more hair colors and more crazy clothes!” and that it could’ve been a fun experience to have. No mention of joining up with Jim Carrey for another film, of course, but that doesn’t mean Kate wouldn’t be up for it.
And although she explained that she doesn’t often re-watch her films after the first showing, maybe Kate’s fondness for Clementine will lead her to re-watch the movie that she so wishes she could revisit in character.