Kate Winslet Recalls Attacks on Her Weight in 'Titanic': Absolutely Appalling

Kate Winslet has spoken out against reporters who body-shamed her on the red carpet when she was 22 years old.

The actor was attending the 1998 Golden Globe Awards for her role in the film "Titanic" when a reporter told her she looked "a little melted and poured" into her dress, adding that she should have worn "two sizes larger," according to The Guardian. Speaking during an appearance on "60 Minutes," Winslet said it was "absolutely appalling."

"What kind of a person must they be to do something like that to a young actress who's just trying to figure it out?" she said while rewatching a clip of the confrontation.

Winslet explained that such attacks were a regular part of her experience at that time. And while she has never publicly confronted critics for their body-shaming remarks, she addressed the issue by seeking private humiliation.

"I let them have it," said Winslet. "I said, 'I hope this haunts you.' It was a great moment. It was a great moment because it wasn't just for me," she added. "It was for all those people who were subjected to that level of harassment. It was horrific, it was really bad."

Winslet had long faced such personal criticisms, including from her acting teacher who said she had to come to terms with being "fat."

She recalled him telling her: "Now, listen, Kate. I'm telling you, darling, if you're going to look like this, you'll have to settle for the fat girl parts."

But as Winslet pointed out, she was "never even fat."

"It made me think, 'I'll just show you — just quietly.'"

Her weight was not the only focal point among the critics of many of her movies.

"People say, 'Oh, you were so brave for this role. You didn't wear any makeup. You had wrinkles,'" she said.

"Do we say to the men, 'Oh, you were so brave for this role. You grew a beard?' No. We don't. It's not brave. It's playing the part," she said.

Winslet previously spoke about her appearance being criticized, recalling during an appearance in a 2021 episode of the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast how she went "into self-protective mode right away" after her breakout role in "Titanic" because she felt "bullied" by the U.K. media.

"It was like night and day from one day to the next," she said, according to People. "Also, I was subject to quite a lot of also personal physical scrutiny, and criticized quite a lot — the British press were actually quite unkind to me."

"I felt quite bullied, if I'm honest," Winslet continued. "I remember just thinking, 'Okay, well, this is horrible, and I hope it passes.' And it did definitely pass, but it also made me realize that if that's what being famous was, I was not ready to be famous, thank you. No, definitely not."

• 'Titanic' Door Prop That Kept Rose Alive Sells for $718,750
• Kate Winslet Addresses Titanic 'Door' Debate: Who Knows