Kate Winslet opens up about media intrusion as she previews Goodbye June

Kate Winslet has publicly reflected on the years of relentless media intrusion that shadowed her rise to fame and how she is approaching her first foray into directing with Goodbye June, which hits screens this month. The discussion, aired on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, also touched on the pressures that come with fame, and the support that helped her endure some of the darkest moments of her personal and professional life.

Winslet described being followed by paparazzi, having her phone tapped, and even people rummaging through her bins as part of a level of scrutiny she said was “appalling” and “horrific.” She recalled that after Titanic, which brought the actress worldwide attention in her early 20s, her life changed in ways she never anticipated. “There were people tapping my phone. They were just everywhere. And I was just on my own. I was terrified to go to sleep,” she said. The pressures did not end with the film’s release; during the marriage breakdowns that would come later, the intrusion persisted in more troubling forms. “A good meal, a shared conversation, a nice cup of coffee, a bit of Radiohead and a good poo” were among the small comforts she cited as sustaining her through the worst of it, a line she described as a simple, personal ritual that life is “all the better for.”

As Winslet reflected on that period, she also spoke about how the tabloid portrayal of her body affected her self-image. She recounted magazine covers that were edited without her knowledge—images that bore little resemblance to her real body and features. “I don’t look like this. My stomach isn’t flat like that. My legs are not that long, my boobs are not that big. What? My arms aren’t that toned. What the hell?” she said, describing the shock of recognizing how far removed those photos could be from reality. The experience, she added, left a lasting impression about the risks of idealized body imagery for young women and the responsibility of outlets that publish those images.

The conversation also turned to Winslet’s personal life, including the period surrounding her divorce from film director Sam Mendes in 2010. She described being followed by paparazzi in New York City with her two young children, and the difficulty of facing questions about the split. Her approach at the time was practical and protective: “You just keep your mouth closed, you put your head down, and you keep walking. And you try and put your hands over your children's ears. You lean on your friends, you just keep going.” The memories underscore a broader point she made about the enduring, gendered pressures in the film industry—pressures she says still require unlearning and critique today.

Winslet’s comments come as she returns to the director’s chair for Goodbye June, a feature she is directing for the first time with a script written by her son, Joe Anders. The project marks a personal milestone: a transition from acting to shepherding a story to the screen, guided in part by the perspectives of the next generation of her family. Anders’ involvement in the screenplay adds a multi-generational arc to the project, a fact Winslet highlighted as she discussed the evolving dynamics of storytelling in the industry.

In addressing the industry more broadly, Winslet said there is still a long way to go in how women are spoken to and treated on film sets. She recalled encounters where women directors were told things that would never be said to a male director, and she pushed back on the expectation that a woman’s worth is tied to supposedly intrinsic “confidence.” “Don’t talk to me about confidence,” she said with a light laugh, and then added that confidence has never been in short supply for her—an assertion that underscores a push for equal treatment and genuine leadership opportunities regardless of gender.

The emotional weight of her past experiences sits alongside Winslet’s professional evolution. She described the experience of Titanic not purely as a triumph but as a turning point that brought with it a mix of exhilaration and upheaval. While the film itself was an enormous success—winning 11 Academy Awards and becoming one of the most enduring titles in cinema history—Winslet said she was not in a “particularly good shape” mentally regarding her body at the time. She recalled the frenzy that followed and the need for a stable support system amid the extraordinary attention a blockbuster can generate.

“The world was totally turned upside down,” she said of the moment the film exploded into theaters. The personal toll of fame, she noted, is not simply a matter of headlines; it affects one’s sense of self and the rituals that anchor daily life. Yet, Winslet added, those experiences have informed her approach to Goodbye June and her evolving stance on the industry’s expectations of women in film. The film, she indicated, is not only a family project but a statement about how to tell a story that resonates beyond the glossy surface of celebrity culture.

As she moves forward, Winslet remains mindful of the need to foster an environment that supports honest conversation, creative risk-taking, and accountability in coverage. She emphasized that the media landscape has shifted in some ways since Titanic, but there is still much to unlearn about how women in film are discussed, evaluated, and valued. Her remarks suggest an artist who sees personal experience as a catalyst for broader reform—channeling the lessons of the past into the work she is now shepherding to life with Goodbye June.

With Goodbye June on the horizon, Winslet’s message appears intentionally constructive: acknowledge the harm of intrusive media practices, protect the well-being of children and families, and push for a more respectful, inclusive industry culture. She has not shied away from confrontation when it serves that goal, but she has also leaned into the softer, sustaining rituals that helped her stay grounded through years when the glare of the tabloids felt absolute. If the film’s release this month marks the start of a new chapter, it is one shaped by the past’s hard lessons and a determination to write a future in which women’s contributions are understood, celebrated, and safeguarded.

And as she navigates this transition—from acting icon to director with a project that bears her family’s creative imprint—Winslet’s reflections offer a portrait of resilience built on a complicated history with fame. Her insistence that the industry must continue learning how to talk to women in film, combined with the intimate, personal stakes of Goodbye June, suggests a career that may redefine not only Winslet herself but the cultural conversation around celebrity, privacy, and creative leadership in contemporary cinema.