When ‘Titanic’ was released internationally in December 1997, Kate Winslet did not take part in the event. At that time, she was going through an especially difficult personal experience.
For most of the world, Titanic is a beautiful and tragic love story. Those who saw it in 1997 surely remember the excitement surrounding James Cameron’s film. But for one of its stars, the moment was far from joyful. Winslet was absent from both the British and American premieres.
She was bedridden with severe food poisoning during the UK premiere. As for the Los Angeles premiere, she was in mourning. The actress explained her absence, stating that she was at her ex-boyfriend’s funeral when the film was released in the United States. Winslet was referring to Stephen Tredre, who died of cancer at the age of 34 in December 1997. And she chose to attend his funeral instead of the film’s debut.
Kate Winslet and actor Stephen Tredre were a couple in the early 1990s. They separated on good terms, and for her, it was unthinkable not to pay her respects. Looking back nearly 27 years later, she reflected that missing everything connected with the release of Titanic felt, in some way, like a sign from the universe to protect her or remind her to focus on what truly mattered.
Defying Industry Expectations
Kate Winslet decided to attend her ex-boyfriend’s funeral against the advice of some in the film industry, who considered the premiere more important. She found it a bit depressing that a person she had spent more than four years of her life with had just died, and people were saying they understood it must be hard, but wouldn’t Stephen have wanted her to go to the premiere? Winslet made it clear that Stephen would have wanted her at his funeral, and that’s where she was going to be.
