Directorial Debut of Kate Winslet: ‘Goodbye June’ Coming to Netflix

Kate Winslet avoided directing movies in the past but now is up for it. A directorial debut of Kate Winslet is set to release on Netflix via Working Title Films, a British film and television production company. The Academy Award winning actor is ready for a fictional drama film named ‘Goodbye June’, which will be a contemporary family drama.

According to Deadline, the script by Winslet’s own son, Joe Anders, would portray modern England where the story revolves around a group of shattered siblings who would be seen struggling to put things together “under sudden and trying circumstances”. The estranged siblings’ storyline will show family dynamics closely- an amazing amalgamation of emotional storytelling that the audience loves.

Previously, Joe Anders worked with Sam Mendes, her ex-husband and director for 1917 and Lee which stars Kate Winslet again, nominated for a BAFTA this year. He even appeared in 2022’s Winslet starrer I Am Ruth in one of its episodes.  

What are other details of the directorial debut of Kate Winslet?

Kate would not only be stepping behind the camera for which preproduction preps are on the way but she would be seen on screen herself. Kate Solomon is collaborating with Kate to handle the production matters. 

She also produced Lee in which Kate Winslet played the titular role meant for the biopic of Lee Miller. The movie has an IMDb rating of 6.9 and 69 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The film’s cast includes Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, and Helen Mirren. 

Based on Screen Daily report, the film’s production is currently in the running in the UK.

Other Kate Winslet movies of the same genre

Kate Winslet started working at the age of fifteen and her first project to work on was BBC series Dark Season (1991). Her film debut was through Heavenly Creatures (1994). She won an Academy Award for her role Hanna Schmiotz in The Reader, she bagged five BAFTA Awards, three Critics’ Choice Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, one Grammy win, and a couple of more during her acting career to date. 

Numerous other drama movies that Kate Winslet appeared in include 

• Hamlet (1996)
• Titanic (1997) 
• Quills (2000)
• Iris (2001)
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
• The Holiday (2006)
• The Reader (2008)
• Carnage (2011)
• The Dressmaker (2015) 
• Steve Jobs (2015)
• Mare of Easttown (2021)

And the list goes on…

Over the years, Winslet has learned from venerable directors like James Cameron (Titanic and Avatar: The Way of Water), Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility), Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road) and Jane Campion (Holy Smoke!). 

A number of actors stepped into the directorial threshold such as Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone, 2007) and Jodie Foster (Little Man Tate, 1991). It has become increasingly common for actors to venture into this field and done quite well with their experience and risk-taking nature. 

How does Winslet’s project matter for the larger industry?

Film reporter, critic, TV host and writer, Alicia Malone mentioned in her TEDx Talks that more female directors are needed for Hollywood and the rest of the world so that audiences could see more than one perspective, which comes from male directors, as women have the versatility in their portrayals. 

Watch the video here:

She further explained that women only get to make independent projects and short films that do not get an exposure as the mainstream films. Even if the term “film directors” is Googled, 50 names are those of men while only one name, Katherine Bigalow, appears on the screen, she verified.   

Taking a deeper dig into the issue, Forbes found through a Celluloid Ceiling report that women comprised 24 percent of the directors, writers, and producers segment of the filmmaking category, which decreased by 1 percent from 2021 to 2022. The report takes into account women’s employment in the projects related to 250 top-grossing films for the past 25 years.  

Recently, Nicole Kidman told Time Magazine that female directors face the pressure of getting everything right in the first go while this is not the case with male directors. Female filmmakers seem to get no room for error while male directors get their second chances easily.

Kidman said, “This can be changed, but it can only be changed by actually being in the films of women”.

In fact, Kate Winslet herself wanted Lee to be directed by a female director, for which she chose Ellen Kuras to make her directorial debut through Lee, as reported by The Guardian.

(This article has been updated with the above-cited piece of information soon after Nicole Kidman’s interview with Time Magazine and Kate Winslet’s interview with The Guardian.)

Kate Winslet’s entry into this arena would matter a great deal since it would be a motivation for the underrepresented female community in the director’s constituency who have just been thinking and never able to actually take a bold step. 

What inspired Kate Winslet to direct Goodbye June?

Winslet felt that she was “letting women down by not directing”, as per AV Club. She used to repel from the idea of directing before as she thought it demanded copious amounts of work. 

She opened up that she had her daughter to take care of and she was never able to direct, which is a “huge commitment”.  She believed that she needed to change the culture and she felt recently that she should take a step into the world of direction.

She said, “The more I’m doing it now, with the need to change the culture, the more I feel like I’m actually letting down other women by not doing it. I’m really starting to feel that in quite a loud way”. [SOURCE]  

Ten years ago, Kate Winslet mentioned to Reuters that she “can never stop learning” about acting. She is always fascinated to know more about the field as the times are changing and there are changes in what people like to watch.

She loves to try new things constantly and she feels that it is some sort of trickery to lure the audience into a role. It is about convincing the audience that she is someone else with whom they would be emotionally connected which is an experience in itself.

She is a good observer and with her self-taught nature and collaborations with the directors, she is now hopeful that she has the experience that could manifest into her directorial debut.  

What is the significance of Goodbye June for Kate Winslet?

Goodbye June would be significant for Kate Winslet as her directorial debut would be an emblem of her long-held desire to direct. She wanted to contribute to the women’s community and she explained that this would be her chance to bring change in filmmaking culture.

Since several other female directors are doing it brilliantly, Kate Winslet feels that now she is ready to oversee the technical side of filmmaking. She is now confident enough to take on the venture as she knows “how to do it properly”.  

Starring in and directing the movie at the same time would be quite a task. However, it would be interesting to watch her outdo herself. Since women are rarely given such an opportunity. It is anticipated that Kate Winslet’s talent and experience of working with some of the best modern-day directors would produce something worth looking out for. 

No further details of this made-for-TV movie have been shared yet and audiences are waiting for the teaser or trailer too. There is no confirmation for the release date of Goodbye June but the fans can’t wait for the Netflix original film’s premiere.