British actress Kate Winslet is known for some iconic film roles, none perhaps more well-known than her lead-role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic. The Oscar-winning actress most recently starred in the hard-hitting TV drama I Am Ruth, which aired on Channel 4 on Thursday (December 8).
The feature-length programme is the latest instalment of the Bafta-nominated and female-led drama anthology series I Am, created by filmmaker Dominic Savage. It sees Winslet, 47, star as Ruth, a concerned mother who witnesses her teenage daughter retreating into herself as she becomes more consumed by the pressures of social media.
Winslet developed and co-authored the storyline with Savage after they both shared stories about parenting their own teenagers. The semi-improvised show features a small cast, and focuses heavily on the strained mother-daughter relationship.
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Starring alongside Winslet is her real-life daughter, 22-year-old Mia Threapleton. The young actress is the daughter from Winslet’s first marriage to British director Jim Threapleton, whom she met on the set of 1998 drama Hideous Kinky when he was an assistant director.
Her previous credits include a minor role in the 2014 romantic drama A Little Chaos, in which her mother starred in the lead role. Mia also starred in the 2020 thriller Shadows, and is set to appear in upcoming series The Buccaneers for Apple TV+.
Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine ahead of I Am Ruth’s premiere, Winslet admitted working with her own daughter was both easier and more difficult. She said: “I sort of clicked into work mode in some stages, and I like to really support younger actors anyway so technically, I was able to show her a few things here and there just little tricks that I’ve learned along the way.
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“But as far as performance, she didn’t need me at all. There were even moments when she’d looked at me and go ‘Shut up, mum. Let me do it’.
“But it was really amazing working alongside her and actually being blown away by her courage and she’s very, very powerful.”
Winslet also noted it was Savage who suggested Threapleton for the role, with the mum insisting she would have to be auditioned on her own merit. Also appearing in I Am Ruth is Winslet’s 18-year-old son, Joe Anders.
He is the son of the actress and British filmmaker Sam Mendes, who is best-known as the director of 1917 and the James Bond films Skyfall and Spectre. The two acclaimed Hollywood stars were married from 2003 to 2011.
Anders stars in the Channel 4 drama as Billy, Ruth’s eldest child, who has left home for university. It is after he leaves that Ruth and Freya’s relationship becomes strained and the cracks begin to appear.
I Am Ruth is Anders’ first on-screen credit, with the young actor set to appear in the forthcoming comedy film Bonus Track. Winslet also has another son, nine-year-old Bear Winslet, whom she shares with her current husband, Edward Abel Smith – legally known as Ned Rocknroll – the nephew of Richard Branson.
I Am Ruth is available to stream on demand on All 4.
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