Kate Winslet opens up about her intimate experiences as a teen — says ‘some of my first …’ as she recalls early bonds

Komal Thakur | Dec 29, 2025, 14:27 IST

Winslet reflects on early bonds and curiosity<br>

Image credit : X/ @The_Epic_Scenes | Winslet reflects on early bonds and curiosity

Kate Winslet recalls intimate teenage experiences and early bonds that shaped her breakout role and acting career.

Kate Winslet has reflected on her teenage years, sharing that her first intimate experiences were with girls. The Oscar-winning actress shared a personal insight during the December 24 episode of the Team Deakins podcast, offering a rare glimpse into how her own life experiences shaped her early acting work.

‘I was curious’: Winslet on her teenage years

Speaking openly, Winslet explained that curiosity rather than labels shaped her first encounters with intimacy as a young teenager.“I’ll share something I’ve never shared before,” she said. “Some of my first intimate experiences as a young teen were actually with girls.”

Image credit : X/ @series_golden | Kate Winslet at the 'GOODBYE JUNE' premiere in London

The actress said that she had kissed both girls and boys during that period, but didn’t feel she had a clear understanding of her identity at the time. “I wasn’t particularly evolved in either direction,” she added, describing it as a period of exploration and emotional discovery.

How personal experience shaped Heavenly Creatures

Winslet connected those early experiences to her breakout role in Heavenly Creatures (1994), directed by Peter Jackson. The film follows two teenage girls, played by Winslet and Melanie Lynskey, whose intense friendship turns dark and destructive.

According to Winslet, her understanding of deep emotional bonds between young women helped her connect to the role. “There was something about the really intense connection that those two women had that I profoundly understood,” she said. She described being “sucked into the vortex” of their world, a relationship driven by insecurity, vulnerability, and obsession.

Image credit : X/ @Xpert_things | Kate Winslet and Leo’s iconic Titanic moment

Heavenly Creatures marked the beginning of Winslet’s career, leading to major roles in Sense and Sensibility and Hamlet. She later became an international star with James Cameron’s Titanic in 1997, starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.

A private life in a public industry

Despite her fame, Winslet has remained private about her personal relationships. Married to Edward Abel Smith, she is a mother of three: daughter Mia Threapleton, son Joe Mendes, and 12-year-old Bear Blaze.

In a 2015 interview with WSJ. Magazine, Winslet addressed her guarded approach to her personal life, saying she was “proud of those silences” surrounding her past marriages.

Image credit : X/ @style_starss | Kate Winslet and son Joe Anders

Advocacy and ongoing work

Winslet has also spoken out about the pressures faced by LGBTQ+ actors in Hollywood. In a 2021 interview with The Sunday Times, she criticised the industry for fostering fear around coming out, calling the situation “f----- up.”

Most recently, Winslet made her directorial debut with the Netflix family drama Goodbye June, in which she also stars alongside Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn, Timothy Spall, and Helen Mirren.

GENERAL

Komal Thakur