Having been catapulted into the public eye at a relatively young age, Kate Winslet has matured into one of the most accomplished actresses of her generation. She’s appeared in some of the era’s biggest and most successful movies and picked up countless awards for her solid character work and standout performances.
Although much of her earlier work came in period dramas, Winslet has since diversified her acting portfolio, finding success in a wide variety of genres and settings. From biopics to animated flicks, there really isn’t much that the Berkshire-born actress hasn’t tried her hand at. They may not have all been Oscar-worthy, but she’s given some truly incredible performances throughout her career so far.
10 Contagion (2011) - 70
While Contagion may not have had much of an impact around the time of its original release, the ongoing pandemic has seen a huge surge in the number of people streaming the movie. It has been one of the most-watched movies on various platforms over the last twelve months and continues to perform strongly even today.
The incredibly high mortality rate of the movie’s MEV-1 virus leads to a lot of its acting talent being killed off before the climax arrives. Winslet’s character is among those who perish early after she contracts the virus in Minneapolis while attempting to trace its initial spread. A vaccine does eventually arrive, but not before millions more have died.
9 Ammonite (2020) - 73
Loosely based on the life of British paleontologist Mary Anning, Ammonite’s portrayal of Anning’s sexuality has proven to be incredibly divisive. One thing that most seem to be in agreement over, however, is that Winslet did a fantastic job of bringing the character back to life.
She delivers an assured performance that is full of both passion and purpose in equal measures. Sadly, a staggered theatrical release and periodic lockdowns have made it incredibly difficult for people to get out and see the movie and its box office performance reflects this. At the time of writing, it’s taken just over half a million dollars for a loss of almost 13 million.
8 Flushed Away (2006) - 74
Flushed Away is one of the most original animated movies of the past few decades. It’s full of witty writing, charming characters, and well-crafted visuals. It’s just as enjoyable for adults as it is for kids. There are some big names scattered throughout the movie’s cast too, and for the most part, at least, they each give a good account of themselves.
Having already lent her voice to several animated characters by this point in her career, Winslet was no stranger to the world of animation. It’s perhaps for this reason that she is able to deliver her lines so confidently and purposefully while still managing to get the humor just right. Being a good actor or actress doesn’t always translate well to voice work, but in Winslet’s case, it absolutely does.
7 Mary And The Witch’s Flower (2018) - 75
The growing popularity of Japanese animation in the west has led to many recent big-budget anime movies receiving English language dubs. This was the case with Studio Ponoc’s debut release Mary and the Witch’s Flower, which is based on Mary Stewart’s 1971 book The Little Broomstick, and sees Winslet providing the voice for the movie’s main antagonist Madam Mumblechook.
Although she has played a few morally questionable characters throughout her career, this was the first time that Winslet played a true villain. She rises to the challenge admirably, however, breathing real fire and energy into the character’s quest to steal the magical fly-by-night flower.
6 Little Children (2006) - 75
Based on Tom Perrotta’s 2004 novel of the same name, Little Children sees Winslet play the role of an unfulfilled housewife who ends up having an affair with a married man named Brad. There are plenty of interesting subplots, too, and some fantastic performances from all those involved.
Despite its many strengths, the movie performed poorly at the box office making a loss of more than $10 million. It fared a lot better with critics, however, with Winslet picking up her third Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her involvement. As with the first two though, she walked away from the ceremony empty-handed.
5 Titanic (1997) - 75
Some may have felt that James Cameron was taking a bit of a risk when he cast two relatively unknown actors as the leads in Titanic. Considering the movie’s critical and commercial success and the wonderful careers that Winslet and her costar Leonardo DiCaprio have gone on to have though, it was a risk that paid off big time.
The movie is one of the most successful ever made, both in terms of its box office performance and the huge number of accolades that it picked up. Unfortunately for Winslet, however, Best Actress wasn’t among the 11 Academy Awards that the movie won, although she did eventually get her hands on acting’s top prize for her performance in The Reader more than a decade later.
4 Iris (2001) - 76
Winslet has appeared in numerous biopics over the years, but her very first came in 2001’s Iris. Together with Dame Judi Dench, she plays novelist Iris Murdoch, a role for which both women received Academy Award nominations. Neither ended up winning, although their costar, Jim Broadbent, did manage to scoop the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
While the writing isn’t always perfect and the pacing can at times be a little uneven, the fantastic performances of the movie’s four leads more than make up for this. Were it not for them, the characters would have been nowhere near as compelling nor would the movie’s closing stages have been anywhere near as moving.
3 Steve Jobs (2015) - 82
While it certainly does a fantastic job of retelling the tech mogul’s life, where Steve Jobs really shines is through its recognition of some of the unsung heroes who helped him to turn his vision into a reality. The likes of Joanna Hoffman and Andy Hertzfeld are relatively unknown outside of Silicon Valley, yet are often placed front and center in this interesting and engaging 2015 biopic.
The movie received mainly positive reviews, with many critics praising Aaron Sorkin’s well-structured screenplay as well as Michael Fassbender’s scintillating performance as the titular character. The latter also picked up an Academy Award nomination for his efforts, as too did Winslet for her portrayal of Joanna Hoffman.
2 Sense And Sensibility (1995) - 84
Following her eye-catching debut in Peter Jackson’s biographical drama Heavenly Creatures, Winslet was able to secure the role of Marianne Dashwood in Ang Lee’s 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. She starred alongside some of the biggest British actors of the era, and once again, impressed critics with her incredibly mature performance.
The movie performed strongly at the box office, taking in around $135 million worldwide. It also picked up seven Academy Award nominations, including one for Winslet as Best Supporting Actress. She didn’t win on this occasion, but considering this was only her second ever movie, to have even been nominated was a very impressive feat.
1 Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) - 89
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is built around a wonderful idea that is perfectly executed by some of the most talented people in the industry. The writing is sharp, the characters are complex and the excellent use of color throughout the movie makes it easy for viewers to keep track of when exactly events are taking place as they’re dragged back and forth across the movie’s timeline.
Winslet has since highlighted Clementine as one of her favorite roles, and the movie itself as an important turning point in her career. It was one of the first times that she had ever been cast as an American, and she does a fantastic job of bringing the complex and erratic character to life. Many consider it to be her very best performance, although it was only enough for a Best Actress nomination rather than the Oscar itself.
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