Kate Winslet on being bullied: ‘They called me Blubber’

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Titanic director James Cameron remembers casting Kate Winslet in the lead role

• September 12th 2012
• 5 years ago
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Kate Winslet attends The London Critics' Circle Film Awards in 2016. Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage

KATE Winslet has revealed that she was called “Blubber” by bullies when she was at school.

The Oscar winner relived some painful parts of her past on stage in front of 12,000 youngsters at the We Day U.K. charity event at Wembley Arena.

In an inspirational speech, Winslet said, “I had been bullied at school, they called me Blubber”.

The 41-year-old told the crowd she was teased for wanting to act, was picked on because of her appearance and was even locked in a cupboard.

“I wasn’t the prettiest,” she said.

“I was even told that I might be lucky in my acting if I was happy to settle for the fat-girl parts. [Casting agents] would say, ‘You’re just not what we’re looking for Kate.’ I’d hear that a lot.”

But Winslet said she was able to block out the negative comments and continued to pursue her passion for acting.

Kate Winslet gestures on stage at the WE Day UK charity event and concert.Source:AP

“I didn’t lock myself away and give up on my dream,” she said.

“I fought back. I had to ignore the negative comments. I had to believe in myself, I had to choose to rise above it all and I had to work hard.”

All of that hard work paid off for Winslet when she landed the starring role in 1997s Titanic alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.

“One day, I was cast as Rose in Titanic,” she recalled.

“The most unlikely candidate — Kate from the sandwich shop in Reading — suddenly acting in one of the biggest movies ever made. You can be from anywhere and you can do anything, believe it. It is possible to overcome your fears.”

Kate Winslet poses after winning the Best Actress award for The Reader at the 81st Annual Academy Awards.Source:Getty Images