Was anyone else a little unsettled at the transformation this year of Kate Winslet from unpretentious, well-adjusted actor person to obsessive awards winner?
It’s like she’s been replaced by one of those shapeshifting Terminators; it looks like her, it sounds like her, but if you catch it from the wrong angle, all you see is the mission. And while it’s really good at mimicking the appearance of a person, it can’t do squat about the inner workings, which is why “Winslet” could go up to the podium at the Golden Globes a second time, with a second speech in her hand, and claim to be surprised and unprepared without acknowledging how odd that claim must seem.
Anyway, it’s just something I was thinking about after reading Scott Tobias’ essay on “Heavenly Creatures” over at the AV Club, where Peter Jackson’s splendid and harrowing drama has just been inducted into the site’s New Cult Canon series. The Winslet of that movie in no way resembles the Winslet of today. Hell, she barely resembles the Winslet who so brilliantly spoofed the Hollywood awards mechanism in that “Extras” clip.
Has anyone else noticed the change? I mean, I don’t expect Sam Mendes to catch on — he’s all about surfaces — but surely her kids must have suspicions.
Christian Bale might want to keep his distance these days, is all I’m saying.