The award Kate Winslet didn’t think she deserved to win: “Totally bonkers”
Kate Winslet isn’t exactly short on accolades. The acclaimed actress boasts an Oscar, three Baftas, two Emmys, and five Golden Globes, along with countless other nominations over the years. However, there is one trophy in her cabinet that Winslet is convinced she didn’t deserve to win. In fact, she believes she inadvertently stole it from one of her mentors in the acting business.
In 1995, Winslet landed her second feature film role in Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility. That Jane Austen adaptation was written by Love Actually star Emma Thompson, who also starred as Elinor Dashwood in the movie. Winslet played Marianne, Elinor’s sister, and the two actors forged a strong bond at very different points in their careers. “She has a groundedness and a clarity of perception about the industry as a whole,” Winslet told Happy Sad Confused’s Josh Horowitz in 2024. “She was quite sort of protective of me.”
Winslet is 17 years younger than Thompson, and the experienced actor took a keen interest in mentoring her early in her career. In fact, when Winslet starred in Titanic in 1997 and suddenly became one of the most famous actors in the world, Thompson worried she might “go off the rails” or be swept away by fame. However, she was also concerned that Winslet would become overexposed by accepting too many offers that came her way. So, she gave a piece of advice that stuck with the Mare of Easttown star for the rest of her career.
“She did say to me, ‘Just remember, it’s equally as important not to work as it is to work,'” Winslet remembered. “I do remember me taking it very seriously, what Emma had said and acting on it. And still acting on it, actually.”
Amusingly, though, despite telling Winslet to pick and choose her jobs wisely, Thompson came to her in 1999 with a gig she simply had to do. Thompson had accepted it but then had to drop out, and she needed Winslet to get her out of a bind.
“So, yonks ago after Sense And Sensibility,” Winslet told the How to Fail podcast, “Patrick Doyle, the composer, had written a beautiful piece of music with Wynton Marsalis, and there were some spoken words that had been put to it.” Doyle had intended for Thompson to provide said spoken words, but then she lost her voice when it came time to record.
Thompson, therefore, phoned her protege Winslet and said, “Hi darling, it’s me. I’ve got to call in a favour.” Doyle needed a replacement voiceover actor that very afternoon, and Thompson asked if Winslet could step in and save the day. “There’s no money,” she clarified. “It’s just a favour for a mate. Do you mind?”
Fast-forward to the 42nd Grammy Awards in 1999, and to Winslet’s shock, she won one of the gilded gramophone trophies for her performance in Listen to the Storyteller as part of the ‘Best Spoken Word Album for Children’ category. The job that she did as a quick favour for a pal resulted in her landing one of the most prestigious music awards in the game – and she felt more than a little embarrassed.
“I actually have a Grammy – which is totally bonkers, and I 1000% shouldn’t have this Grammy at all,” Winslet chuckled.
