Kate Winslet Reveals the Biggest Advice She Gives Women in Hollywood: 'Mistakes Are Important' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Kate Winslet at 2024 WIF annual gala.Photo:River Callaway/Variety via Getty

River Callaway/Variety via Getty

Kate Winsletis opening up about the importance of making mistakes.

The actress spoke to PEOPLE at the Women In Film (WIF) annual gala on Oct. 24 in Beverly Hills, where theLeestarreceived The Crystal Award for Advocacy in Film.

While it was a night for celebration, Winslet, 49, made it clear that the journey to success isn’t always linear.

When asked about the advice she has for younger women coming up in the industry, theMare of Easttownstar had much to say.

“It’s such an interesting question, because I give it a lot of advice all the time,” the actress told PEOPLE exclusively.

“The main thing I say is that mistakes are not only celebrated, but they’re important,” she continued. “Because if we don’t make mistakes, we can absolutely never learn. And we all make mistakes, and there is no such thing as perfect. And just to completely be themselves. Because if they can be themselves, they’ve always got that to hang on to and to keep them grounded.”

And how does theTitanicactress actually get through those mistakes?

“Honestly, dig deep, keep going, and just believe in myself,” Winslet said.

“I mean, that’s honestly what I do. And try not to be hard on myself. I think women in general, we’re hard on ourselves all the time. It’s a terrible waste of energy, and I don’t ever want to look back at my life and think to myself, ‘I wish I had been kinder on myself.’ I want to do that now, and always be doing that. So that’s what I do.”

Kate Winslet.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Winslet received The Crystal Award for Advocacy in Film for her role in her new biopicLee, which explores the life of American model-turned-war photographerLee Miller. Winslet championed the project for over a decade and also produced it.

“I sat with one guy,” Winslet recalled, “[…] And he leans in all keen and excited, and he goes, ‘Tell me. Why should I like this woman?’”

“And of course, I wanted to scream,” Winslet said. “I wanted to scream. I wanted to say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, because she’s slightly saggy and middle-aged and has got the marks and scars of her life written all over her face and has PTSD that makes her dislikable? To me, of course, that makes her eternally fascinating.”

“So in that moment, I held my nerve,” the actress said.

Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard.Presley Ann/Getty

Presley Ann/Getty

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“So I would say, hold your nerve, girls. Don’t take no for an answer. Don’t make films with people who don’t want to make your film with you. They do not deserve to be on your set. They do not deserve that right, and keep going. And really don’t take no for an answer.”

source: people.com