Kate Winslet's kick-ass speech on overcoming fat-shaming to land a role in 'Titanic'
Kate Winslet delivered an empowering speech about finding her self-worth and pursuing her dreams after being bullied at school.
Speaking to young people at London charity event WE Day UK, Winslet talked about her journey from being fat-shamed at school to landing a role as Rose in Titanic.
"They called me 'Blubber.' Teased me for wanting to act. Locked me in the cupboard. Laughed at me," said Winslet.
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"I felt that I wasn't good enough. I didn't look right, and all because I didn't fit into someone else's idea of perfect. I didn't have the perfect body. And I would rarely hear anything positive," Winslet continued.
Winslet says she didn't want to lock herself away and give up on her dream. "I fought back. I had to ignore the negative comments. I had to believe in myself. I had to choose to rise above it all, and I had to work hard. You have to be indestructible to do what you love, and believe that you are worth it. And sometimes that's the hardest part," said Winslet.
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The Oscar-winning actor said she embraced her flaws and decided to make no apology for who she is.
"I would tell myself 'Are you ready for me, world?' I kept working and I kept trying my best and then one day I was cast as Rose in Titanic. The most unlikely candidate -- Kate from the sandwich shop in Reading suddenly acting on one of the biggest movies ever made," said Winslet.
"I decided I simply wouldn't listen when they said that my body didn't fit. This is who I am. The real me. Kate from Reading. And so I looked in the mirror, took a deep breath and I said to myself: 'get out there, get out there and go for it,'" she continued.
Preach! 👏
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
