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Kate Winslet says she has 'bitter regrets' over working with alleged abusers, but fails to name them

'The message we received for years was that it was the highest compliment to be offered roles by these men'

Clarisse Loughrey
Monday 29 January 2018 14:21 GMT
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Kate Winslet has expressed "bitter regrets" over working with alleged abusers within the industry, only without naming names.

Accepting an award at the London Critics' Circle Film Awards, the actor stated that: "There are directors, producers and men of power who have for decades been awarded and applauded for their highly regarded work by both this industry and moviegoers alike."

"Indeed, many actors have had flourishing careers due in part to roles played in their films. The message we received for years was that it was the highest compliment to be offered roles by these men."

"As women around the world and from all walks of life marched last weekend, once again joining together to speak out about harassment, exploitation and abuse, I realised that I wouldn't be able to stand here this evening and keep to myself some bitter regrets that I have at poor decisions to work with individuals with whom I wish I had not."

Winslet has worked with producer Harvey Weinstein in the past, though she revealed her decision not to thank him when accepting her Oscar for The Reader in 2009 was deliberate. "If people aren’t well-behaved, why would I thank him?" she said.

She has, however, also worked with alleged abusers Roman Polanski and Woody Allen - the latter only last year in Wonder Wheel - and has notably come to the defence of both.

Kate Winslet describes working with Woody Allen

"Woody Allen is an incredible director. So is Roman Polanski. I had an extraordinary working experience with both of those men, and that’s the truth," she told The New York Times last September.

At a roundtable a month ago, she described Allen as "an extraordinary writer", adding that "he's obviously known for having created extraordinary roles, very, very powerful and complicated roles for women, for many, many years."

It's unclear whether Winslet has changed her perspective on artists she'd previously defended or whether these comments are intended to be deliberately vague. Hopefully, she will have more to say in the future

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