Kate Winslet reflects on one of the joys of her career: having the opportunity to work alongside her own children.
The actress, 50, opened up about the experience while speaking with PEOPLE at the special screening of Goodbye June NYC on December 8, sharing how much she’s learned from watching her children embark on their creative paths.
Winslet, who starred with her daughter Mia Threapleton, 25, and son Joe Anders, 21, in the 2021 drama. I am RuthHe also teamed up with Joe again for Goodbye June.
The project marks her directorial debut and Joe wrote the script.
For her, the most important thing has been discovering who her children are on and off the set.
“I think what I’ve honestly learned about my kids is that they’re really good people,” she said, noting that Mia and Joe, whom she shares with her ex-husband Sam Mendes, aren’t aware of how talented they are.
He added that both remain firm and focused on the work itself. Winslet also shares her youngest son, Bear Blaze, 12, with her husband Edward Abel Smith.
She described her children as “very humble” and explained that they grew up listening to her stories on set, the lessons she learned, the moments that shaped her, and the ideas conveyed by other actors and filmmakers.
Seeing that influence on her own work ethic has made her even more proud.
According to Winslet, Mia and Joe understand how important collaboration is, simply because “that’s all they’ve ever witnessed in my work life.”
Seeing them adopt that mindset gives you confidence in their future.
“So I’m really excited for them, for what’s to come, because they can handle it,” she said.
The actress also recently praised Joe’s involvement in Goodbye Juneexplaining in Jimmy Kimmel live! who chose to direct the film to protect the heart of its story.
She remembered telling him she wanted to direct because handing a script to a director means “it becomes yours,” and she wasn’t prepared for that.
Instead, she wanted him to “experience seeing this beautiful thing he had created come to life.”
Working alongside him every day, she said, was “just fantastic,” especially because he “turns out to be very, very smart with film.”
Winslet’s reflections highlight not only her admiration for her children’s growing careers, but also her belief that they are entering the industry as strong, capable and, above all, “good” people.
