Who Do You Think You Are? viewers were left bemused by Kate Winslet’s “hammed up” reactions as she discovered new secrets about her family history.
The Oscar-winning actress didn’t hold back her astonishment as she learned of her Swedish ancestors’ working class roots.
Winslet deeply empathised with her forebears’ struggle to survive a famine in the 1830s, bursting into tears when she learned that her great-great-great grandfather had been sentenced to lashes after stealing to feed his family.
Some fans of the genealogy show were less than impressed by Winslet’s emotional responses and claimed that the star was “overacting.”
“And this years [sic] Oscar for ‘Overacting when really unnecessary’ goes to Kate Winslet for her role in #WhoDoYouThinkYouAre,” one disgruntled viewer wrote on Twitter.
“And the Best Female Overacting Oscar goes to Kate Winslet in.. #WhoDoYouThinkYouAre,” another added.
A third wrote: “And the BAFTA for Most Hammed Up Performance goes to Kate Winslet in tonight’s Who Do You Think You Are?”
Some even shared memes which joked that Winslet would scream with astonishment to discover that “one of her great, great great ancestors died” or to “find out her great great grandma was a woman.”
Others, however, were more equivocal. “She was a bit of a drama queen, but I suppose that’s her day job!” a more sympathetic viewer wrote on social media.
One fan praised Winslet for her “genuine” reaction to her family’s “hardship,” writing: “#WhoDoYouThinkYouAre is always fascinating as the participants are prepared to reveal so much of themselves with us the viewer. Kate Winslet was genuine in her emotions & hope for a better outcome for family members who’d experienced hardship. I admire her for taking part.
“I actually really enjoyed it,” another agreed. “What’s wrong with a bit of emotion? I’ve cried when I discovered things in my family tree. Celebrities are human too.”
Who Do You Think You Are? continues on August 19 at 9pm on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.
