Leo To Kate: "Let The Whole Fat Girl Thing Go"
We all know that I love Kate Winslet. I also happen to love Kate and Leo (BFF!), and I am so excited to see Revolutionary Road, even though I’m sure the movie won’t be as good as the book but WHATEVER, it has Kate and Leo. (My husband’s comment upon seeing the trailer was, “This is a terrible sequel! They didn’t even explain how they got him out of the water.”)
Apparently, in a recent interview, Kate credited Leo with helping her overcome weight and body image issues. I saw a snippet over at IMDB:
“As a child, I was overweight and I was very chubby and I was always the wrong kid at the audition because my hair was wrong and the shoes didn’t fit. I [didn't lose] weight very [sensibly] when I was younger but those [days] are very much behind me.”
Turning to DiCaprio, she adds, “I remember you saying to me one day, ‘You’ve really got to let the whole fat girl thing go’. And that’s the truth, you’re right.”
I’d like to read a version of the interview without all the typos in it, but IMDB doesn’t mention which magazine it’s from. I’m also curious as to what “let the whole fat girl thing go” means, and how one does that. Any theories?
[Another meta note: Not sure what's going on with the wonky sidebar or with the lack of Google indexing. I've been away from the Internet and on vacation and at a conference for a few days, but I'm back now, and hopefully will be able to resolve the outstanding issues this week. Thanks, guys. Happy holidays!]
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Celebrities, Gossip, Kate Winslet, Meta, Movies
It was on the Today show interview one day last week, I believe, so you should be able to locate the video of it.
Because I was 18 when Titanic came out and totally 100% obsessed with the movie and everything about it, I know the context of that quote without even having to read more. Kate was concerned about her nude scene in Titanic and apparently confided in Leo that she used to be chubby, and he basically told her to get over it because she was gorgeous and he was totally stoked to shoot with her nude all day. I remember reading her interview in Rolling Stone when she told that story and it only made me love Leo more. Mmmmm…
I watched this on The Today Show last week as well — it was a sweet interview, the two of them really seem like they like and care about each other a great deal.
I interpreted the statement in the context that Leo was telling her, “you’re not fat anymore, you’re not that girl anymore, you really need to let go of interacting with the world as though you still have a weight problem, because you don’t.”
I found it very sweet, I related to it a lot. I have had many male friends say similar things to me over the past few years.
I have mixed feelings about this.
While it’s obviously a very sweet thing to say, it does imply that the insecurity is something to let go because it doesn’t apply to her anymore, not because it’s silly for anyone. There’s the suggestion that those who really are fat girls can be hung up on it, but that if you’ve escaped that horrible fate, you can move on.
That’s how it reads to me, though I’d love for someone to prove me wrong.
I’m inclined to agree with Christina on this one…maybe especially because of Leo’s proclivity for supermodels.
I didn’t read it as Leo saying that being fat is bad, per se. I read it more as Kate was insecure about seeing herself as being “the fat girl” and therefore “the wrong girl” at auditions and on jobs – and he’s telling her that she needs to get past that mindset.
Remember, on the Titanic set, James Cameron used to call her “Kate Weighs-a-Lot.” Because he is an asshole. But that would totally play on her “oh god I’m fat and ugly and oh god” thing, so it makes sense that Leo would specifically say something to help with the weight-insecurity.
I think sometimes as “the fat girl” it becomes your identity and if you veiw fat as a bad thing then it brings your whole opinion of yourself down.
He was telling her to get over the identity of being inferior because she’s a great actress and a gorgeous person.
I remember during all those Titanic Interviews. Kate telling the story about how Leo told her something like “people are going to say you are fat, but remember you are gorgeous” or something like that.
Leo was quoted in an AP story saying that he has really wanted to perform with KW since Titanic, and that he loved working with her on Revolutionary Road.
I thought that was a classy thing for him to say. They do have white hot chemistry together.
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It’s really sweet to hear that Leo is understanding the weight issue, where so many male celebs don’t. Too bad he’s not my type, or I’d say this would be a great opportunity, to get back to unabashedly fan worshipping him.
He might have me if he grows his hair out, lol.
seeing them at the Golden Globes, it was adorable. i cried when Kate won her second award that night and she was sobbing so hard she could barely talk. she said something about loving Leo for the last 13 years with all her heart and it was so sweet that i almost went into a sugar coma. (sorry i don’t have the quote tonight, i’ll transcribe it in my blog tomorrow.) her love of him proves his goodness to me. that is to say, if some one as amazing as her loves him, he must genuinely be a really great guy.
Really Melissa, Leo said that to Kate??? Wow, I just have to say that is the sweetest thing ever……..
“People are going to say you are fat but remember you are gorgeous.”