Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Getting the hang of things
Kate Winslet enjoyed objectifying ‘Hunger Games’ hunk
LONDON: Kate Winslet says she enjoyed “objectifying” Hunger Games hunk Liam Hemsworth in a new movie.
The Oscar-winning 40-yearold also loved being the older woman in The Dressmaker, which they filmed in the Australian Outback.
Winslet’s delight over Hemsworth comes at a time when some younger actresses have expressed alarm about how they’re often cast against leading men old enough to be their fathers.
Of Hemsworth – who plays Gale, one of Jennifer Lawrence’s beaus in the four Hunger Games pictures – Winslete said: “I knew he was a bit younger, he’s in his twenties, and that’s about it. When he arrived on set, I remember thinking: ‘ Does it show that we’re different ages?’ And on screen it really doesn’t.
”He’s 10 years older than my daughter, and I’m 15 years older than him.
“That’s funny – he’s a baby. He’s very sweet, I must say.”
Winslet loved the moment in the movie where she has to take a tape measure to his bare chest.
“He was nervous about that. Terrified, really. It’s nice to see a different side of the coin in terms of a woman getting to objectify the male torso. And he is good looking.”
In the beautifully shot film, Winslet plays Tilly, a Paristrained couture designer, who returns to her dingy Aussie home town to seek revenge on those who shunted her out years before for a crime she insists she didn’t commit. She ends up creating gorgeous gowns for the local women.
Before that, though, Tilly parades her wares in two comic scenes where she also shows off her stunning silhouette in a figure-hugging scarlet dress cut from vintage Italian cloth and a black frock with a plunging neckline and plenty of va-va-voom.
“She was wearing those outfits to make an impact. You can’t just put them on, you have to wear the dress. You have to own it and believe in it,” Winslet said emphatically.
The film is based on Rosalie Ham’s 2000 novel. Winslet’s astute, full-on performance is in marvellous contrast to her sublime portrait of digital-age pioneer Joanna Hoffman in Danny Boyle’s film Steve Jobs .
The latter is garnering her a lot of well-deserved Oscar and Bafta attention. – Daily Mail