Kate Winslet used a real camera to take pictures in Lee
Actress Kate Winslet had a replica of Lee Miller's actual camera made up so she could take real pictures while playing the war photographer on the set of 'Lee'.
Kate Winslet took real pictures with a vintage-style camera on the set of 'Lee'.
The 49-year-old 'Titanic' actress plays model-turned-war photographer Lee Miller in the biopic and she had a replica of her actual camera made up so she could take snaps during filming to make it look as real as possible.
In an interview on '60 Minutes', Kate explained: "[The camera] couldn’t just be a prop. It needed to feel like an extension of my arms. I had to be confident and comfortable with it. And in order to do that, I had to know what I was doing."
Kate went on to reveal she still battles nerves and self-doubt when fighting for a role she really wants even after winning an Oscar for her 2008 movie 'The Reader'.
She explained: "Oh, honestly, it’s a whole bunch of mind f******. I mean, it is, even to this day. Like anything, going for a job interview, it’s absolutely terrifying. If it’s a job you really want, doubly terrifying ...
"When I was doing Lee, I would sit there and I would say, ‘This is ridiculous … I can truly think of at least five other brilliant actresses who would have played this part much better than me. Like a lot better.'
"And often I will turn to another crewmember and I’ll say: ‘They just read the wrong name off the list. I’m telling you, they didn’t mean for me to be here'."
She added of playing Lee: "People say: ‘Oh, you were so brave for this role. You didn’t wear any make-up'. You know: ‘You had wrinkles'.
"Do we say to the men: ‘Oh, you were so brave for this role. You grew a beard?’ No. We don’t … it’s not brave. It’s playing the part."
It comes after Kate admitted she was left frustrated in her attempts to get men to "understand" the project as she sought financial backing for 'Lee'. Speaking at the Zurich Film Festival, Kate – who is a producer on the picture – said: "We didn't have anything handed to us on a plate. I did come up against people, forgive me – men – who just didn't understand what this film was.
"It's about a woman who was challenged, who doesn't look like a pretty picture for most of the film, who was getting down and dirty with life. I did have a potential financier say to me: 'So, why should I like this woman?' Okay, so not you then."
She continued: "One director wanted to make a film I really wasn't sure about. He said: 'If you make it, I'll help you get your 'little Lee Miller film ' funded.' Again – NO! You won't help me, go away. I wasn't going to work with people Lee wouldn't have approved of."
Kate was honoured with the Golden Icon Award at the festival in Switzerland but explained that she hasn't given much thought to her "legacy" as an actress.
The Oscar-winning star said: "I am not going anywhere, but I don't really think about legacy as much as I think about how important it is to tell stories and make films.
"To be someone who always wants to do this job doesn't just mean playing interesting parts. It's more than that – it's about the entire experience."
