Trigger Warning: This article contains references to an individual’s death.
In a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, actress Kate Winslet opened up about her decision to miss Titanic’s US premiere in 1997. The 48-year-old actress reflected on her late boyfriend, Stephen Tredre, who died from cancer that same year.
While discussing her past, Winslet mentioned that she missed the Titanic premieres in London and the United States. She mentioned that her absence was mostly related to Tredre’s funeral.
“It’s a terrible thing to even think about now,” Winslet said. She and Tredre dated for five years until parting ways in 1995, two years before his untimely death at the age of 34.
The actress was feeling ill on the day of the London premiere due to food poisoning. She revealed, “When it premiered in London, I was really unwell, I had terrible food poisoning, and I was actually in a hospital in London. It was completely weird.” Winslet later visited Tredre’s funeral at the U.S. premiere.
Winslet’s emotional connection to Tredre influenced her choices at a crucial point in her career. In a 1999 interview with The Guardian, she expressed her disappointment at Hollywood’s demand to attend the Titanic premiere rather than spend time with her late boyfriend.
She recalled talks in which industry insiders claimed Tredre would have preferred her to attend the premiere. Winslet strongly disagreed, saying, “No, he bloody wouldn’t. Stephen would have wanted me at his funeral, and I’m going to be there.”
The actress talked about the challenges of meeting public expectations while dealing with personal grief. She said she was a little depressed by that, recalling how difficult it was to balance her newfound fame with the loss of someone she loved greatly.
Despite missing the premieres, Winslet saw Titanic in a full theater in New York City. She described the experience as surreal. She said she remembers thinking that it was a packed theatre and she is in one of those films where everyone fills every seat. Titanic became a global blockbuster, pushing her into superstardom alongside co-star Leonardo DiCaprio.
