Kate Winslet rejected unwanted advice about her body while filming her new World War II drama, Lee. Directed by Ellen Kuras in her feature debut, based on a 1985 biography, the upcoming film follows the true story of Lee Miller, a fashion model and photographer who became a correspondent to chronicle the events of World War II for Vogue magazine. Other than Winslet in the lead role, the cast includes Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Noémie Merlant, Josh O’Connor, and Alexander Skarsgård in supporting roles.

During a recent interview profile by Harper’s BAZAAR, Winslet recalled a time when she rejected unwanted advice about her body while filming Lee. She was sitting on a bench in a bikini when a crew member came up to her and suggested she sit up straighter, and Winslet responded, “So you can’t see my belly rolls? Not on your life!” Read her full recollection of the incident below:

There’s a bit where Lee’s sitting on a bench in a bikini… And one of the crew came up between takes and said: “You might want to sit up straighter.” So you can’t see my belly rolls? Not on your life! It was deliberate, you know?” The opposite. I take pride in it because it is my life on my face, and that matters. It wouldn’t occur to me to cover that up. I think people know better than to say, “You might wanna do something about those wrinkles. I’m more comfortable in myself as each year passes. It enables me to allow the opinions of others to evaporate.

Kate Winslet Has Always Been An Advocate For Positive Body Image

The incident while filming Lee is just the latest example of Winslet being an advocate for positive body image, especially among women, whether it be in her public statements, choice of roles, or support for body-positive campaigns. Winslet is well-known for her willingness to perform nude scenes, having done so in a dozen of her movies. However, she always ensures that they contribute to the narrative before agreeing to them, which she believes helps promote positive body image for women.

For instance, in her 2006 film Little Children, Winslet plays an unhappy housewife who has an affair with her married neighbor. Having recently given birth to two children, Winslet was nervous about filming the sex scenes, so she decided to embrace them as an opportunity to present a positive image for women with, in her words, “imperfect bodies.” In 2008’s The Reader, for which Winslet won an Academy Award for Best Actress, Winslet refused to wear a merkin that was designed for her frontal nude scenes, preferring to show her body in an unretouched manner.

Rose’s drawing in Titanic is an integral part of the film and her character. However, the real story of how it was made makes it even more special.

Before filming Lee, Winslet says she stopped exercising entirely to ensure that she appeared naturally soft. Even so, she remained confident and proud of her natural appearance, rejecting societal pressure to look perfect. In Lee, and many of her movies, Winslet consistently makes creative choices that showcase her natural body because she takes pride in her real, unaltered appearance, viewing it as a part of her authentic self.