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You are in: Berkshire > People > Your stories > Winslet wins at Golden Globes

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet wins Golden Globes

Winslet wins at Golden Globes

Reading actress Kate Winslet's parents reveal to BBC Berkshire the phone conversation they had with their daughter after she scooped two Golden Awards in LA. Read and listen to the full interview below.

Reading-born actress Kate Winslet scooped two Golden Globes in LA last night (Sunday 11 January 2009), winning best actress for her role in Revolutionary Road, directed by her husband Sam Mendes (also from Reading), and best supporting actress for her performance in The Reader.

Sally and Roger Winslet

Sally and Roger Winslet

Her parents Sally and Roger Winslet still live in Reading and visited BBC Berkshire to tell breakfast show presenter Andrew Peach about the moment the phone rang at 4am this morning.

Also find out how Kate first got the acting bug, and whether they think Kate has changed at all.

Listen to the full interview here:

So,  tell me how you found out!

Sally: "We heard the phone ring at 4am this morning, the house phone. I had said to her to phone on the mobile but of course she didn't do that.

"She's never forgotten that she's an over-privileged citizen in an under-privileged world. I think that is what has kept her feet on the ground. "

Roger Winslet on Kate

"I ran to get it and it stopped. So I thought 'she's only going to ring if she'd won an award. So I texted back "Please ring, have you won?".

"I couldn't back to sleep and then more than an hour later the phone rang again. This time it was Sam on the phone saying not only had she won, but that she'd won both awards.

"She's absolutely ecstatic, I don't think anyone's ever won twice before."

What did she say to you? I presume as a parent this a moment you're not going to forget.

Sally: "She just kept saying: "Can you believe it!" I can't swear but a couple of expletives came out. "I've won them both!"."

Did she think she was going to win?

Sally: "Absolutely not, she thought she had a chance with The Reader but definitely not for Revolutionary Road."

"She also did promise that she wouldn't cry if she won an award, do a Gwyneth Paltrow. I don't think she really cried but she was visibly shocked."

Kate Winslet

Hollywood star Kate Winslet

Your family has lots of links to the acting world. Tell us how did Kate get into acting in the first place.

Roger: "The truth is that her elder sister got involved with a theatre group, the Generation Theatre Group. Kate went along to one of these sessions. She was aged about six or seven, maybe eight.

"She loved it so much and she came home and said 'That's what I want to do'. Simple as that really."

So the very first brush she had with acting made her think 'yes that's the future for me'. Probably like any other set of parents you thought 'it's a passing phase, let's hope she gets a proper job as an accountant'.


Roger: "Not really because they'd always shown ability to dance, and I think a lot of kids get into acting through singing and dancing.

"I think they enjoyed the competitions and Sally was very good, she was always ferrying them around.

"We have Cornish holidays together, we still go to this lovely house in Cornwall we've been going to for the last 20-odd years. Same place every year."

Sally Winslet on spending time with Kate

"They showed such pleasure in taking part in that, it was no surprise to me that one of them should go on - indeed all three are actors in various different projects and levels of course. But no it wasn't a big surprise to us."

Sally: "Kate was always a little bit more pushy, shall we say, than the other two. More determined.

"To make a living out of it, not to be a star or anything like that but just to do it for a career."

Roger: "It's opportunity but also having the nouse to see an opportunity and go for it. The rest is largely in the lap of the Gods."

At what age was Kate when you first allowed yourself to dream that she had the right combination of talent plus determination plus the ability to spot an opportunity that might take her to this kind of level?

Sally: "Well her starting point really for Kate was getting that amazing role in Heavenly Creatures, which she did for Peter Jackson. It took off from there really.

"Prior to that it was just chance, I suppose she was extremely lucky to get that role."

She knew how to capitalise on it. She was spotted and people realised how good she was.

Roger: "I think it was such an enjoyable experience, that first experience. She was lucky, because Peter Jackson was so good with those girls. He realised that they'd had no previous 'real' experience and I think he made it easy for them.

"On your first occasion if it's enjoyable. It's a baptism by fire."

Kate Winslet receiving a BAFTA in 2002

Kate Winslet receiving a BAFTA in 2002

Throughout Kate's career, she's been a famous film actress for more than ten years now. Have you seen your role as trying to keep her feet on the ground?

Roger: "I've personally always said, it can get very fractious - film-making, very tiring. But she's never forgotten that she's an over-privileged citizen in an under-privileged world. I think that is what has kept her feet on the ground.

"We just like to see the fact that she hasn't changed very much at all. She still comes to see us, still loves to see old friends - when she's able to of course."

How often does she see you? She was in the UK recently.

Sally: "She was only here very briefly, she had to do all this publicity for the two films in Berlin, Paris and London but we did see her then.

"But she comes over at the school holidays - Christmas and the summer holidays she'll be here.

"And we have Cornish holidays together, we still go to this lovely house in Cornwall we've been going to for the last 20-odd years. Same place every year."

Roger: "Not our house we might add!"

Is it difficult? Where ever she goes in the world she's going to be spotted and recognised...

Sally: "Interestingly enough no, she doesn't. When she's not dressed up or anything, she can go to the shops, she goes to the supermarkets.

"In New York she's very comfortable, walking around with the kids or going shopping."

Roger: "To be fair people are pretty respectful of her privacy in Reading if she comes. She can walk around the town. Obviously you see someone glance in our direction if we're walking together but by and large she doesn't get troubled."

Would she wander off shopping in the Oracle?

Sally: "I've been shopping with her in the Oracle. Occasionally somebody might come up but she's always very gracious. It's not very often. They probably don't believe it's her really!"

Do you feel today is one of those moments that you'll always remember. Are you full of pride and thinking, life doesn't get any better than this?

Sally "I don't know, not really, I think there's lots of special moments really."

Roger: "Particularly when one of the daughters has a child, I mean that's fantastic. Our daughter Beth is about to have a baby, we really can't wait for that."

Sally: "In fact we've got a bottle of cava in the fridge. I thought 'shall we open it today?' But then I thought, 'it's really for when the baby is born!'"

Roger: "But obviously it is very special."

How often do you get out to New York or LA to spend time with Kate?

Roger: "Whenever they can fit us in. That sounds a bit like 'could you be accommodated' but basically they are so very very busy. But whenever we can do it, we go."

Sally: "Probably about once a year."

"Roger: "We see them at home in New York which is usually about Autumn-time, and we see them anyway as we've said during the summer cos they love to come home for the summer months."

Sally: "We've only been to LA for a purpose, like when we went to the Oscars."

But you might be going over for the Oscars in the spring?

Sally: "If she gets nominated!"

Roger: "I don't think we want to talk about that right now!"

She's got to have a good chance now.

Roger: "They say that if you get nominated for the Globes that you will get the nod, at least for a nomination."

You were talking to Kate this morning at 4am and also now a few minutes ago. What is she saying about it now that she's had a few hours to soak it in?

Roger: "I think she hasn't really come down to earth cos I think she is so respectful of the people she works with, her peers if you like, Meryl Streep for one, she was nominated.

"She's so pleased to be there I think she's still on cloud nine."

So what do you buy a movie star for Christmas?

Sally: "It's very difficult actually, we have to give it lots of thought. I bought her a table runner from The Pier."

In the closing down sale!

Sally: "We had to post them this time because they couldn't come back."

Do you send her flowers or a card saying congratulations?

Sally: "I think she gets enough flowers from other people. She'll have so many flowers she won't have enough vases to put them in!"

last updated: 12/01/2009 at 13:22
created: 12/01/2009

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