Kate Winslet award-ready.
What have been some of the best hotels you’ve ever stayed in?
Amilla Fushi (a luxury resort in the Maldives) worked its magic on us all. If my children weren’t gliding alongside my husband and myself on one of our daily dives with sharks and manta rays, they were tearing around the new, off-the-charts-amazing tennis courts under the watchful eye of the local coach. There was always a willing band of male staff members ready to kick a football around with my son, who’s a little on the shy side and was really made to feel part of a team – it became a bit of a ritual, as he’d race out of the door at five o’clock to join his friends like a newcomer welcomed by local villagers.
Where do you like to holiday in your own time?
When I have to get away, I enjoy being anywhere that’s far-flung and distant. I need to explore nature, to be outside, even if it is the windswept highlands of Scotland; as long as I can be far away and it’s not too hot! I’ve been mountain climbing in Iceland, parasailing in New Zealand and dog sledding in the Arctic, but haven’t been to many beach resorts. So I’m not really used to being waited on, or being expected to relax!
What are your bucket list destinations?
I love travel, I love adventure; I’m always wanting to go somewhere new. I’ve always wanted to go to the Fjords in Norway and I so far haven’t been – so that’s definitely on my bucket list. Also, when I was shooting The Reader we shot a lot in Czech Republic and it’s a spectacularly beautiful place. The Reader was a pivotal moment not just in my career but just in terms of adventure and the experience was very unique. There are some beautiful areas of the Czech Republic that I would happily go back to.
What’s the most remote destination you’d ever think of travelling to?
I’m not remotely against people going into space, but I don’t want to go there. Nope. I’m quite happy down here. Being in an aeroplane is challenging enough.
What’s your favourite destination?
A really meaningful place to me is Cornwall, on the west coast of England. It’s a very beautiful place, not many people know about it, not many people in England particularly go there. It’s just stunning and I’ve had lots of great family holidays there since I was a baby, so that holds a special place for me.
My heart has always been in England, even when I was living in America. But whenever I’m back in Manhattan there are certain smells, the fresh coffee and bagels in the morning that make me go ‘Aaah, New York’.
What were the best and worst things about filming in Australia for The Dressmaker?
I’ve trundled along since having children and had some great roles and experiences, but I haven’t really been able to go to far-flung places, such as Australia, and make a film for 10 weeks. The logistics of my life just haven’t made that possible. Everyone loves an adventure and I knew this would be just that. Going for a wee was quite hard – actually just getting to the loo which was often miles away! It was actually pretty intense… It’s hot in Australia, it’s extremely hot!
Do you enjoy trying the local cuisine on holiday?
Just recently, my husband and I, courtesy of the lovely Michael Fassbender, enjoyed a weekend in County Kerry and it was great, we had a great time. We drank a lot of Guinness, we ate a lot of bread that had treacle in it – some kind of amazing bread. I even ended up taking a loaf of it home from where we were staying. It was so good – and made with lots and lots of butter!
Have you ever been on a cruise since appearing in Titanic?
Well, I haven’t gone on a cruise in a boat the size of Titanic at 882½-feet-long! I did take a holiday to Alaska that was entirely in a boat with 16 people.
Honestly, I actually now get onto boats and say, ‘No jokes, OK? No jokes. Can we just move on from that? And if you have any jokes, let’s just get them out of the way right now. Thank you. Anyone? Jokes, jokes? OK, moving on.’