"Making Titanic was really very frightening. I don't think a lot of actresses would have endured what I went through. And I would think very carefully before doing anything of that size again. But it is going to be a historic piece of film-making. The love story that moved me to tears when I first read the script is still there. It was a brilliant film," says Winslet. Kate Winslet

Making her film debut in Heavenly Creatures in 1994, Kate Winslet is one of the newest and brightest stars in Hollywood. She already has a large number of awards to her name, and was even nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting role in Sense and Sensibility. On a more recent note, she was nominated for a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 11-time Academy Award winner Titanic. Filmography for Kate Winslet: Heavenly Creatures (1994) A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995) Sense and Sensibility (1995) Hamlet (1996) Jude (1996) Titanic (1997) Hideous Kinky (1998) Her current project is a film called Hideous Kinky, filmed recently in Morocco. Now in post-production, the film is slated for a limited UK release in June. The film was directed by Gillies MacKinnon, and stars Winslet as Julia, the mother of two, on a trip through Africa. Also, rumour has it she's been cast in an upcoming Miramax Films project entitled Holy Smoke, directed by Jane Campion, which will begin principle photography in July of 1998. Links of interest: Recent article in the British Vogue IMDb entry for Kate Winslet A Kate Winslet Homepage The Kate Winslet Show Kate Winslet Fan Club homepage Abbagirl's Shrine to Kate Winslet Her performance in the recent film Jude went quite unnoticed here in the United States due to the fact that it was a limited release British independent film. It was an amazing work, and led to a London Evening Standard Film Award for Best Supporting/Actress in 1997. "I called him -- I think he was in his car on the freeway -- and said, 'You don't understand. I have to do this film. You cannot possibly cast anyone else.'" When Cameron informed her that Titanic would be brutally hard and even dangerous work, she pumped her hand in the air, shouting, "Let's go for it!" She has recently been featured on the cover of Vanity Fair in the company of Cameron Diaz and Claire Danes; actresses with brilliant careers ahead of them. Los Angeles magazine has put her on their "The 40 Most Important People Under 40 list," and People magazine has declared Kate one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" in the world. "I'm happy the way I am. I know I'm not the physical norm of these American film stars. Some people are naturally very slim. I'm naturally curvy," says Winslet, in response to tabloid reports of her gaining weight. Kate Winslet currently lives in London, England, and is 22 years old. After finishing the Titanic press run, rumour has it that she is now going to take a year-long break from acting to spend more time with friends and family. Click here for a recent interview (RealAudio). To see a recent pencil sketch I've been working on, click here.

Michael Sherman <mset@cmu.edu>