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LANDING THE FEMALE LEAD IN
THE BIGGEST HOLLYWOOD MOVIE OF THE DECADE
WAS NO SMALL ACHIEVEMENT.
THANKS TO "TITANIC,"
KATE WINSLET WAS DEFINITELY ON HOLLYWOOD'S "A" LIST.
THE SCRIPTS POURED IN,
BUT KATE TURNED DOWN EVERY MAJOR STUDIO OFFER,
INCLUDING "SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE."
INSTEAD, KATE CHOSE TO PLAY A HIPPIE MOTHER
WHO TAKES HER DAUGHTERS
ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY TO MARRAKECH
IN THE LOW-BUDGET FILM "HIDEOUS ***."
YOUR AGENTS MUST HAVE BEEN--
OH, THEY HAD A MINI HEART ATTACK.
BUT I JUST FELT I HAD TO DO THAT.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW,
HOW WAS ANYONE SUPPOSED TO TOP THAT FILM?
IT WAS HUGE.
I JUST SUDDENLY THOUGHT,
IF I GO AND DO ANOTHER REALLY BIG FILM
AND POSSIBLY GET PAID
A VERY BIG AMOUNT OF MONEY,
I DON'T KNOW THAT
I'LL REALLY UNDERSTAND MYSELF ANYMORE.
AND I HAD LOVED THE STORY
OF "HIDEOUS ***."
SOMEONE HAD BOUGHT THE BOOK FOR ME
WHEN I WAS MUCH YOUNGER,
AND I WAS JUST THRILLED
THAT AN ADAPTATION HAD BEEN DONE.
THAT SOMEONE WAS KATE'S FORMER BOYFRIEND,
ACTOR STEPHEN TREDRE.
EVEN AFTER THE RELATIONSHIP ENDED,
THE TWO REMAINED CLOSE.
THAT'S WHY TREDRE'S DEATH FROM CANCER
WAS A PARALYZING LOSS FOR KATE.
SHE WAS DEVASTATED WHEN HE DIED BECAUSE
HE WAS THE FIRST LOVE OF HER LIFE.
SHE WAS VERY CLOSE TO HIM.
IT DIDN'T WORK OUT BECAUSE
THEY JUST WENT THEIR OWN SEPARATE WAYS
WHEN KATE MADE "SENSE AND SENSIBILITY."
BUT THEY ADORED EACH OTHER, AND SHE REMAINED CLOSE TO HIM,
AND SHE SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH HIM WHEN HE WAS SICK.
HE WAS SICK FOR A WHILE?
YEAH, HE WAS SICK FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
WE WERE TOGETHER FOR
ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF YEARS,
AND HE WAS JUST
AN EXTRAORDINARY, EXTRAORDINARY PERSON,
AND HE BECAME VERY UNWELL
WHILST WE WERE STILL TOGETHER.
AND THEN HE GOT BETTER AND WENT INTO REMISSION,
AND DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME, WE BROKE UP,
AND IT WAS ABOUT SIX MONTHS LATER
THAT HE WENT DOWNHILL AGAIN
AND DIED VERY QUICKLY AFTER THAT.
IT WAS TREMENDOUSLY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE
FOR MYSELF AND MY FAMILY,
WHO JUST ADORED HIM.
I MEAN, HE'D BEEN IN MY LIFE
SINCE I WAS 15, 16.
AND, YOU KNOW, I HAVE AN ANGEL NOW.
I WAS ACTUALLY AT THE PREMIERE OF "TITANIC,"
AND I REMEMBER YOU WEREN'T THERE.
NO, I WASN'T AT ANY OF THEM.
BECAUSE YOU'D LOST STEVEN--
AND I WAS AT THE FUNERAL.
GOING THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
AND IT'S JUST SUCH A STRANGE--
ONE PART OF YOUR LIFE
IS EXPLODING IN ONE WAY
AND ANOTHER PART OF IT
IS EXPLODING IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
AND WHAT THAT WAS LIKE FOR YOU.
IT WAS REALLY, REALLY HARD.
IT WAS REALLY TOUGH.
I REALLY KIND OF SAVED MY SOUL I THINK
WHEN I DID THAT FILM.
AND I COULDN'T HAVE BEEN HAPPIER THAT
IT JUST SORT OF CAME,
DID ITS LITTLE BIT OF BUSINESS
AND DISAPPEARED AGAIN.
AND PEOPLE WOULD SAY, "HOW DID YOU FEEL?
"IT WASN'T A BOX OFFICE HIT."
I JUST SAID,
"WELL, IT WASN'T REALLY MEANT TO BE."
"HIDEOUS ***" DIDN'T DO MUCH FOR KATE'S CAREER,
BUT IT DID WONDERS FOR HER PERSONAL LIFE.
WHILE MAKING THE FILM, KATE FELL IN LOVE
WITH ASSISTANT DIRECTOR JIM THREAPLETON.
WHEN KATE MET HIM, I REMEMBER HER SAYING,
"IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.
"I SAW HIM.
"I SAW HIS FACE ACROSS THE ROOM
"AND THOUGHT, WOW, THIS IS IT."
ALMOST AS SOON AS THE PRESS PICKED UP ON THE ROMANCE,
KATE AND JIM BECAME HUSBAND AND WIFE.
THEY APPEARED TOGETHER
AT THE FILM'S HOLLYWOOD PREMIERE.
Kate: IT'S BEEN AMAZING.
AT FIRST IT WAS ALL VERY EXPLOSIVE,
AND THEN I HAD TO KIND OF REMEMBER
TO BRING MYSELF BACK DOWN TO EARTH.
IT'S VERY NORMAL,
COMPLETELY NORMAL AS ANYTHING.
WE'RE A REGULAR COUPLE,
AND WE HAVE A GREAT TIME.
IRONICALLY, KATE'S FIRST FILM AS A MARRIED WOMAN
INCLUDED SOME STEAMY SCENES WITH CO-STAR GEOFFREY RUSH.
THE MOVIE WAS "QUILLS."
WHEN YOU'RE GIVEN A SCRIPT AND, ON ABOUT PAGE 25,
YOU DISCOVER THAT
YOU GET TO TONGUE-KISS KATE WINSLET...
[ CHEERING ]
THAT WAS A FESTIVAL FREEBIE.
COMING UP...
I'VE HAD A BIT OF E, I THINK,
IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND LATER, KATE AND HER WEIGHT.
I DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT
AND ACTUALLY DON'T PARTICULARLY
WANT TO LOOK LIKE THAT.