Kate Winslet

"I first auditioned Kate Winslet when she was 17. I thought she was 25. Such was her self-possession, presence and concentration...later, I cast her as Ophelia in a film of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. I did not ask her to audition...She listened with superhuman acuity, and expressed character with effortless depth... (now) those same qualities are radiant, having now evolved into a truly awesome acting technique. Only now, hers is the art that entirely hides the artist...It’s magnificent to watch."

"Shes a very gentle and grounded person, so I suppose I could say that Im not worried about her. She knows the industry extremely well. She has a really wonderful family, too. Yeah, of course we talked about it. Of course we do. Its a great privilege to be able to share the experiences I have had with her. Am I going to be specific about what we shared? No [laughs]. But shes going to be just fine. Shes a really great human being. Shes going to be tremendous actually."

"You know why I fear people’s judgment? Because I know they’re judging. I know they are."

"I know when I walk into that classroom in the morning, even if it’s for a split second, at some point I’m being checked out."

"I’m not classically trained. I didn’t come from the fancy home, no."

"Everyone can commit to 20 minutes, especially if there’s a glass of Chardonnay afterwards."

"This is going to sound really weird, but I never had a desire to be famous. I never had huge ambitions — never."

"I need to be looked after. I’m not talking about diamond rings and nice restaurants and fancy stuff—in fact, that makes me uncomfortable. I didn’t grow up with it and it’s not me, you know. But I need someone to say to me, ‘Shall I run you a bath?’ or ‘Let’s go to the pub, just us.’"

"I don’t particularly remember sitting at home crying and eating endless packets of HobNobs. I don’t remember doing that at all. Honestly, I think it was a stress thing or something. I don’t know."

"I do think it’s important for young women to know that magazine covers are retouched. People don’t really look like that. In films I might look glamorous, but I’ve been in hair and make-up for two hours."

"I often look at women who wear great jeans and high heels and nice little T-shirts wandering around the city and I think, I should make more of an effort. I should look like that. But then I think, They can’t be happy in those heels."

"Even now I do not consider myself to be some kind of great, sexy beauty. I don’t mind the way I’m ageing. No reason to panic just yet. I think I look my age, and that’s fine. The lord God almighty has done me proud with my features which Im proud of and have no desire to alter them. I say " let nature take its course "."