Caffeinated Clint
Ditches the corsets for “The Holiday”
We have enjoyed her portrayal of Jane Austen characters, now Kate Winslet is portraying something more relevant to her true self. We discussed how her most recent character of this current era compares to other characters from past eras.
You spent a lot of time in your career wearing corsets to play English women. How did you feel in this role portraying a modern English woman?
KW: Terrified. Honestly, terrified. I’ve never played a contemporary English woman. The closest I’ve come is that I did a little film right after Titanic called Hideous Kinky that was set in the late 60’s. It was really scary that I didn’t have anything to hide behind. I’m used to playing character parts, being somebody else entirely, and erasing all shred of myself in order to play a part. This wasn’t like that. There was a lot of things I could relate to with Iris, she’s an English woman and so am I. There was no wig, there was no American accent, and there was no corset! We did a complete read-through of the script before we started shooting, and at one moment, I opened my mouth, and said a line of dialogue in an American accent, and I said, ‘whoops, sorry.’ I’m so used to doing it now, since Eternal Sunshine came out, there have been a lot of American parts that I’ve played, so it’s taken a lot of getting used to. It was a real challenge. I had to focus on a whole different genre, I’ve never done a romantic comedy before. I am thrilled with this opportunity to be involved with something completely different. And that’s the great privilege as an actor who’s working, I’m in this position where I can choose, and I’m so grateful for that because it makes my job so interesting. And challenging. That’s what it’s about for me, to learn new things, and in this film I’ve learned so much about comedy, particularly from Jack Black. I remember being very worried. Before shooting some scenes, Jude and I would worry about how we had to be funny, and we’d say, “How are we going to do that?”
But the great thing about this film is that the script was so good. All of those things are written in. A lot of time was taken in crafting who these characters were, writing those jokes, making those funny moments happen, then the actors just brought their characters to life. Nancy created a very strong framework and structure in her script; we were lucky.
You seemed very comfortable being funny. Do you have a good sense of humor?
KW: Being married you have to have a good sense of humor! It’s a very important part of my life, and my marriage. For example, my husband is doing a play on Broadway, so we have been in New York recently, and in our apartment we had a situation where we had to trap some mice – they were squeaking and we were laughing. It was quite hysterical really. We make each other laugh all the time.
Tell me about your husband.
My husband is so brilliant, and he is an excellent dad. He is quite domesticated; I’ve got him trained. [Snaps her fingers, then laughs.] Those things around the house come more naturally to a woman than a man. I think these days it’s rather hard to be a man. I think a lot is expected of men today. They are expected to bring home the money, they are supposed to take care of everyone, and be hands-on involved with the family. There is a lot more pressure put on them these days, instead of just going to work. They have to step up to the plate. Just like women, men must multi-task, and it’s tough for the guys.
Talking about men, tell me about working with a legend like Eli Wallach as Arthur.
KW: It was wonderful working with Eli, because he is that person. Arthur’s stories are just like Eli’s. He has so many stories about old Hollywood, and stars like Marilyn Monroe, and the list goes on. Our relationship was useful in playing this part because Eli is as fascinating to me as Arthur is to Iris, and it was so wonderful to experience that. He is such an inspiring person at 90 years old, knowing his lines, being on time for work, caring about getting it right. When I look at Eli, I just hope to God that I can be like that someday.
That scene in the auditorium with Arthur was very moving. A little bit of all of us are in that scene.
KW: That scene is a truly wonderful moment. He thinks there will only be a handful of people there, and it’s just a packed auditorium. That’s a dream for any actor, writer, or director. It’s a real dream moment.
What about your other leading man, Jack Black as Miles?
KW: Working with Jack was a gift. I’ve worked with some amazing actors, and I’ve taken away some wonderful memories from all of those experiences, but Jack had me in stitches and there was always something that he would do to make me laugh. Sometimes I was laughing so hard we had to stop the scene. In some ways, he is much more like an actor than a comedian, he’s really professional and very prepared and we actually worked in a very similar way. We would share ideas, sit and rehearse lines for a scene we were doing the following week, we really wanted to get it right. There was a lot of improvising too, which is what I really like. His girlfriend, who is now his wife, was pregnant at the time, and we would share baby stories. He’s a lovely guy to work with.
What about love? In the film, love comes when they don’t expect it.
KW: Real true love is like that, where it just creeps up on you when you’re not expecting it. Iris truly believed that Jasper was the person she was supposed to be with. She thought that was her destiny, just loving without getting anything back. Without attention from Jasper her self esteem was low. Then, it’s glorious how she grows with Miles, and Arthur, too. It makes her realize how wrong she was.
You recently co-starred with Jude Law in another film. How was it in this film?
KW: Jude and I are good friends. He’s a wonderful man and such a talented actor. It’s very easy to work with Jude, he’s very supportive and collaborative. You can share ideas with him. And he’s funny, he’s very funny!
Were you surprised he accepted the role in a romantic comedy?
KW: No, not at all. I think we both wanted to do it for the same reasons: we’d never done anything like this before, they are great parts, and it was a wonderful script. It was a whole new opportunity to experience a genre that we hadn’t done before.
Was it his first romantic comedy also?
KW: Yes, and we would have these new moments. We felt like the black sheep a little bit, because comedy is not our world, it was something new. I wasn’t surprised, I was thrilled, and it made a huge difference because I knew him from working on All The King’s Men, and he worked with my husband on Road To Perdition. It was so right that he plays the part of my brother because that’s the sort of relationship we have. Because we support each other and tease each other I didn’t have to do any homework there, it was just wonderful.
Was comedy easier, as some would think, or more difficult?
KW: It was a challenge. It was really hard. It was a very different specific set of challenges. I’m more used to doing the kind of brooding, angst ridden thing. Playing parts of people who are dying, or having their heart broken. People who end up in some sort of devastated emotional state. That’s what I’m used to. That’s a world that I can slip into a lot easier than this world where there’s so much to enjoy.
We had many big dialogue scenes as well – scenes that would go on for seven or eight pages, or even longer, and that’s quite rare in film. That was challenging. You have to be very focused to pull that off, especially with comic timing involved. You have to really make the pace for those moments. Sometimes if you take a pause for four seconds instead of three-and-a-half seconds, it doesn’t quite work. It’s very specific.
Another great line from the film was about being a leading lady but acting like the best friend. Do you find that to be true?
KW: As a mother and wife, I am the leading lady. I am very strong headed, and I know what I want out of life. I’m a very hardworking person. I believe in getting the most out of life in my own circumstance and work. However, in some ways we all can feel like the best friend.
Iris states: “I have found almost everything ever written about love to be true.” Do you agree?
KW: Love is a wonderful, complex, exciting and yet, a sometimes terrible thing. It will take you places that you didn’t know you could go inside yourself, and sometimes you get the gold, and sometimes you don’t. In love, ANYTHING is possible. Absolutely anything.
If you could trade your house or your life, temporarily of course, what would you do?
KW: I would like to switch houses with Iris! That was so my kind of house, and I loved that set so much. Her home in the film is so cozy and homey, safe and secure.
This is a Holiday movie. How will you be spending your Holiday?
KW: I will be with the family. Lots of presents… lots of food… lots of conversation… and lots of singing. For me it’s just the way that I’ve always done it.
THE HOLIDAY Commences Boxing Day around Australia
