Kate with Sam at the Road To Perdition premiere
I remember the first time I met Kate Winslet. It was 2004 and it was in New York at the premiere of the Sam Mendes’ directed Road to Perdition. After a busy day filming for MSNBC, I literally bumped into her at the after party. She was already a huge star and an Oscar winner but what struck me is that she looked surprisingly ill at ease. As Sam mingled, laughed, and worked the room, his girlfriend (at the time) Kate sat patiently in a corner, on her own, rolling a handmade cigarette. When I stopped to compliment her outfit, I was welcomed – she clearly was looking for someone to talk to. As we chatted it emerged that at the moment she was hard at work filming Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp in London. After a long day of shooting she had jumped on a jet for the trip to NYC just to be there for Sam on his big night. She was turning around and flying back to London straight after the party – in fact, she would have spent more time in the air than on the ground. When I said I was impressed at her dedication she simply shrugged and said, ‘it’s called being a supportive girlfriend.’ She was so pretty that evening, and a total knock-out in a white satin suit – her figure was amazing, in addition to the clearly massive effort she had made for him. But truth be told Sam seemed distracted lapping up praise while she sat patiently waiting, looking for cues on what he expected of her.
Kate and Ned at The Titanic 3D premiere
Watching Kate at the London premiere of Titanic 3D recently, I was struck by something else. With Sam now firmly in the dust, Kate stands there regally, front and centre as new boyfriend Ned Rocknroll (yes that’s the name he legally chose) stands patiently behind her, holding her pink iphone while she poses confidently for pictures. You can almost feel her assuredness. It seems that Ned too had flown in to show his support and as he ducked out of camera range, he fairly beamed with pride from the sidelines.
I think Kate may have finally found her match. She is much more natural as the star than the supporting member of the cast. It’s clear she’s known that for a long time in her film career – but it seems she’s just started to figure it out in her personal life.