'Titanic' star Kate Winslet says 'being famous was horrible'

'Titanic,' which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, starred Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio

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Fame is not for the faint of heart. Actress Kate Winslet should know.

Since garnering massive attention for the 1997 film "Titanic," where she starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Winslet has been a fixture in Hollywood for decades.

Winslet, who was just 22 years old when the film was released, said her life was significantly altered and became "quite unpleasant" as she struggled with her appearance and being followed. 

KATE WINSLET TALKS 'TITANIC' 25TH ANNIVERSARY AS JAMES CAMERON SAYS SHE WAS 'TRAUMATIZED' BY THE FILM

Kate Winslet smirks into the camera on the carpet for "Avatar: The Way of Water"

Kate Winslet has said "Titanic" was a challenging experience, giving her a level of fame she disliked. (Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

In a new interview with PORTER, Winslet, now 48, recognizes things are different now. She said the industry and its expectations have changed, which is great for her daughter, Mia Threapleton, an up-and-coming actress.

"It’s different now. Mia is very much her own person. [Young women now] know how to use their voice," she explained. "I felt like I had to look a certain way, or be a certain thing, and because media intrusion was so significant at that time, my life was quite unpleasant." 

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Kate Winslet in a black dress poses with her hand on her hip with daughter Mia Threapleton in a black dress with a cream band around the waist on the carpet

Kate Winslet said her daughter, actress Mia Threapleton, is experiencing the limelight differently than she did. (Joe Maher/Getty Images)

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"Journalists would always say, ‘After "Titanic," you could have done anything and yet you chose to do these small things’… and I was like, ‘Yeah, you bet your f---in' life I did! Because, guess what, being famous was horrible.’"

"I was grateful, of course. I was in my early twenties, and I was able to get a flat. But I didn’t want to be followed literally feeding the ducks," she claimed.

Kate Winslet with red hair in the "Titanic" as Rose looks at the camera as Leonardo DiCaprio, who played Jack stares at her

Kate Winslet starred as Rose opposite Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack, in the 1997 film, "Titanic." (CBS via Getty Images)

This is not the first time Winslet has spoken about the ramifications of being in the blockbuster film. In a conversation with the Los Angeles Times, Winslet said she was "scared of Hollywood" at the time. "A big, scary place where everyone had to be thin and look a certain way. And I knew that I did not look that way or feel like I fit there, so if I was ever going to belong, I had to earn my place. And to me, I hadn’t earned it," she said of the time.

Kate Winslet with short wavy hair wears a plunging white blazer on the carpet

Kate Winslet says she has no regrets. (HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)

However, Winslet has adjusted, willingly or not, to fame, a word she calls "ridiculous."

"I wear [fame] really lightly. It’s not a burden, any of it. ['Titanic'] continues to bring people huge amounts of joy. The only time I am like, ‘Oh god, hide’, is if we are on a boat somewhere," she joked.

Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Authored by Caroline Thayer via FoxNews February 12th 2024