Kate Winslet Praises Her Daughter Mia During Award Speech For Digging ‘Deeply’

May 24, 2023

The English actress, Kate Winslet, is known for starring in period dramas where she often portrays complex female characters, often in independent films. Her most popular role and the film that made her a household name was "Titanic," in which she starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. Winslet is the recipient of an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, five British Academy Film Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. 

Winslet began her career at age 15 when she appeared on the British television series "Dark Season." Her film debut came in 1994 with the movie "Heavenly Creatures." A year later, she took home a BAFTA for her performance as Marianne Dashwood in "Sense and Sensibility." After she sky-rocketed to worldwide fame in 1997 with "Titanic," Winslet began to receive more roles in blockbuster films. 

The actress has had a whirlwind career, as well as a tumultuous love life. She was first married to Jim Threapleton, who worked as assistant director on the set of the film "Hideous Kinky." Winslet fell for him, and they were married in 1998. Sadly, their love was not meant to be, and they divorced in 2001. Winslet's second marriage was to Sam Mendes, another director. They got married in 2003 and divorced in 2011. Winslet has been married to Edward Abel Smith since 2012. 

From her three marriages, Winslet has three children, each from a different father. This includes her oldest child, Mia Threapleton, from her first marriage. Mia, 22, is following in her famous mother's footsteps and has begun working as an actress. In fact, the two starred together in Channel 4's "I Am Ruth," which landed Winslet a BAFTA win for Best Actress in May 2023.

The stunning mother-daughter duo walked the red carpet together at the awards show and even twinned with their outfits.

Winslet has been hailed for both her talent and beauty since she first made a name for herself, but unlike other celebrity women, she's sung a different tune when it comes to staying young and relevant in the world of entertainment. As an advocate of natural beauty, Winslet told The Telegraph on the topic of plastic surgery, "It goes against all my morals, the way that my parents brought me up and what I consider to be natural beauty." 

Having acted in the iconic movie, "Titanic" at a young age, Winslet told The Guardian, "I turned 21 on that shoot, and Leo turned 22," she said. Later speaking to Oprah Winfrey on her titular show in 2004, Winslet revealed, "I remember Leo when we were doing 'Titanic' saying to me, 'You know it's really important that you are the shape that you are." Cheat Sheet reported that Winslet continued, "I was like 'Well what do you mean by that?'" She added:

"It was kind of a really out-of-the-blue conversation that we had in the middle of shooting. He said 'Because there's so many skinny girls out there who think that to be successful and to be beautiful and therefore to be loved and respected, it means you have to be thin.'"

In the entertainment industry, there is an extreme emphasis on a woman's body type and weight, and it can be challenging for women who do not fit the "industry standard." Winslet said that "this kind of really struck a chord with me. I thought, 'He's really right actually.' And that in some way this image is being translated to teenage girls." Ever since then, Winslet has been an admirable public figure for young women to look up to due to her stance on cosmetic surgery and body positivity.

Winslet has undoubtedly passed on her positive message about beauty to her daughter Mia, who looks like a clone of the famous actress in her younger days. Winslet must have influenced Mia in other ways, too, as the youngster is following in her mom's acting footsteps. While those are huge shoes to fill, Mia looks to have the same talent, and she even went toe to toe with her mom in her latest acting role.

The mother and daughter starred opposite one another in an episode of Channel 4's limited series "I Am...," specifically the episode "I Am Ruth." Winslet starred as a single mom who becomes worried about her 17-year-old daughter, played by Mia, after she becomes increasingly reclusive due to her social media obsession. Critics lauded both of their performances, and Winslet even took home the BAFTA Award for Best Actress on May 14, 2023. 

The actress walked the red carpet with Mia, as they matched in elegant black ensembles. Winslet wore a halter-neck, knee-length dress with black pointed heels, while Mia wore a chic black-and-beige jumpsuit. The stunning mother and daughter swept their dark blond tresses off their faces in updos, while statement earrings finished off their respective looks.

After “I Am Ruth” was announced as the winner for Best Single Drama at the BAFTA Awards, director Dominic Savage gave a moving speech while several of the cast and crew stood behind him, emotionally celebrating the win themselves. Winslet and Mia were seen holding onto each other lovingly while they basked in the accomplished moment together.

Savage then gave a specific shoutout to “the marvelous Kate Winslet and Mia Threapleton who are just incredible.” Winslet went on to share her own heartfelt words and encouraged Savage to celebrate the win.

During Winslet's acceptance speech when she won the award for Best Actress, the doting mother paid tribute to her daughter, who co-starred in "I Am Ruth" with her. She called the speech her “BAFTA Just In Case Speech,” clearly overwhelmed by the honor — especially since she had been able to work alongside her daughter on the praised project.

Winslet, who co-wrote the drama, said as she accepted her award, “I am guaranteed to be the only one of the night to cry. ... It really does mean that small British television dramas can still be mighty.”

The doting mother continued:

“If I could cut this in half, I would give the other half to my daughter, Mia Threapleton. We did this together, kiddo. There were days when it was agony for her to dig as deeply as she did into very frightening emotional territories sometimes and it took my breath away.”

Winslet spoke more about the emotional impact of “I Am Ruth,” and said:

"‘I Am Ruth’ was made for parents and their children, for families who feel that they are held hostage by the perils of the online world, for parents who wish they could still communicate with their teenagers but who no longer can, and for young people who have become addicted to social media and its darker sides. This does not need to be your life.”

The official Kate Winslet fan page shared the moving speech and highlighted the important work Winslet and Mia’s show was doing to help raise awareness about mental health.

We're sure this is just the start of an incredible career for Mia, and we can't wait to see what she does next!

What do you think about Kate Winslet’s kind words for her daughter Mia Threapleton? Are you interested in watching them star together in "I Am Ruth"? Let us know, then pass this on to any fans of the actress you know!