Strong family ties fuel Kate Winslet’s latest film

Three decades years into an internationally celebrated film career, Kate Winslet still refuses to follow the movie star code.

“I don’t particularly like attention,” the 50-year-old Oscar winner insists. “I wish I could just do the work and disappear off again into the shadows and make a cup of tea.”

She might have to put the Earl Grey on hold. Winslet makes her directorial debut and stars in “Goodbye June,” new film streaming on Netflix. It was written by her son Joe Anders.

Set during Christmas, the film revolves around a family, including sisters played by Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough and Winslet, that gathers around their dying mother (Helen Mirren), and it explores themes of grief, reconciliation and love.

“My son created a story not about someone dying, but about family. It really lifts you up. It’s not all grief and loss. It’s about love and closeness. These are the moments that define us,” Winslet says.

The London native and mother of three is married to businessman Edward Able Smith and lives in a seaside village in West Sussex in the U.K. Her good life advice:

Take big leaps

Directing? Starring? Producing? “I really didn’t mean to do all those three,” she says with a laugh. Winslet says directing gave her the biggest moments of pause. “We only had a 35-day shoot, and I only had Helen Mirren for 16 days. There was this exhilaration, but also a pressure of thinking, ‘Oh, my God, can I do this?’ It’s good to feel that way now and then. I love that rush of adrenaline.”

A personal project

The story was inspired by Winslet’s experience losing her mother to ovarian cancer in 2017. “My son has always been a writer,” she shares. “His creative side was there since he was a little boy. It is his passion. But when he finished school, he wasn’t sure what to do with his life. So, he applied to really a prestigious course in England. When he was there, he was encouraged by a really fantastic tutor who said, ‘Joe, just write what you know.’ The one thing at 19 that was significant for Joe was the loss of his grandmother.”

‘We’re making this’

Going to his superstar mother with a movie script was significant. “He handed it to me when he’d almost finished it. My son said, ‘It’s probably crap, but you can read it if you want. Just lie to me,’ ” Winslet recalls. “At the end, I knew he was a screenwriter. So, I said, ‘We are going to make this into a film, and he said, ‘No, no, no, Mom. I just wanted you to read it. It’s a school assignment.’ I said, ‘No, I’m telling you. We’re making this into a film, and I will play Julia. I told my son, ‘I’d never forgive myself if I let this story go.’ ”

Dealing with loss

“We all lose a parent. We lose family. We’re not very good at talking about it or preparing for it,” Winslet says. “There are families where people haven’t talked in years. Their children have never met. All of a sudden, you’re thrown together to deal with an impending loss.”

Winslet hopes a movie like this can bring families together. “The key is talking,” she says. “There can even be oddly humorous moments, which I learned when I lost my own mother.”

Something new

What was it like to direct herself? “I wasn’t sure if what I was doing as an actor in this film was good,” Winslet says. “That feeling never goes away … even with age. The key is to keep experimenting in life. You can always try something new. If it doesn’t work, try something else.”

Open spaces

Winslet says she liked the hustle and bustle of London in the past but now is happy in the countryside village of West Wittering. “It’s so quiet and the countryside is good for my head,” she says. She shares a 17th-century home with her husband and children Mia, Joe and Bear. A good day is picking wild blackberries, cooking or swimming, she says. She is also a fan of yoga, surfing and paddle-boarding.

New challenges

Winslet says she is always looking for new material. “I’m drawn to stories that make an audience think or give them pause about their own life,” she says. “I want to ignite further conversation — one that you might have never had if you hadn’t seen that movie.”

Reframe aging

“I don’t look at numbers,” Winslet says. “I just say, ‘The older I get, I’ve lived more life. I know more things.’ Your emotional toolkit gets bigger as the years pass.”

Helping hand

“I believe in lifting people up. Pay it forward,” she says. “That’s how I live. How I parent. How I walk through the world. I love to be in a position where I could turn to my children’s music teacher in the U.K. and ask him to compose for this film. It was a joy for me. To give someone an opportunity that could change the course of their next chapter was enormous to me.”