Kate Winslet Says Fame After ‘Titanic’ Was ‘Horrible,’ Calls Life at the Time ‘Unpleasant’

Kate Winslet didn’t want mainstream fame after starring in her 1997 breakout, Titanic.

In a new PORTER cover story, the actress, 48, discussed the overwhelming experience after starring as Rose DeWitt Bukater in the James Cameron-directed film. Winslet starred opposite a young Leonardo Dicaprio as Jack Dawson, who went on to become arguably one of the best and most recognizable actors of all time.

“I felt like I had to look a certain way, or be a certain thing, and because media intrusion was so significant at that time, my life was quite unpleasant,” Winslet said.

She continued, “Journalists would always say, ‘After Titanic, you could have done anything and yet you chose to do these small things’… and I was like, ‘Yeah, you bet your fuckin’ life I did! Because, guess what, being famous was horrible.’ I was grateful, of course.”

“I was grateful, of course,” Winslet added. “I was in my early twenties, and I was able to get a flat. But I didn’t want to be followed literally feeding the ducks.”

On still being a prominent actress, Winslet said, “It’s not a burden, any of it.[Titanic] continues to bring people huge amounts of joy. The only time I am like, ‘Oh god, hide’, is if we are on a boat somewhere.”

As for her relationship with Dicaprio at the time of filming, Winslet said it was strengthened by the film’s “seismic” impact. “I think when you experience something so seismic, so young… we really went through that together,” she said.