EXCLUSIVE: Kate Winslet Talks Ageism In Hollywood & Working With Liam Hemsworth

The actress is starring in The Dressmaker

Kate Winslet has carved a formidable acting career as one of Hollywood's greats with stand-out roles since 1995 bringing her Oscar glory and a whole host of accolades in the process.

Starring alongside Judy Davis and Liam Hemsworth in The Dressmaker, a film described by director Jocelyn Moorehouse as ‘magical-realism’, and by Kate herself as a 'wild, fun ride'. Kate plays Tilly Dunnage, a successful, city seamstress who returns to the small Australian town from which she was exiled as a girl to find out the truth about her past and to repair (and wreck) old relationships.

Speaking exclusively to Maire Claire UK, Kate revealed what filming in Australia alongside Liam was like - and even touched on the ageism issue that is so well-documented in Hollywood.

Addressing critics who have pointed out the real-life age gap between herself and on-screen love interest Liam Hemsworth, Winslet revealed: 'I actually honestly don’t even know how old Liam really is. I know he’s in his twenties but I couldn’t tell you exactly how old.’

‘It was so lovely working with Liam’ she continued. ‘I’m just not someone who really thinks about age that much. Certainly not when it comes to age differences in relationships’. 

Speaking further about the much-noted age gap between the pair, she added: ‘It was only when my daughter said to me “Mum do you realize that Liam is probably closer in age to me than he is to you” that I went, oh yeah so he is.'

Kate also spoke about how working with a predominantly female cast on The Dressmaker was ‘unusual’.

‘[The Dressmaker is] a script by a woman based on a novel written by a woman and it’s always lovely to come across those types of environments’ she said. ‘It is quite unusual to find female film directors just because there aren’t as many female directors as there are men’.

After a number of high profile actors including Meryl Streep, Keira Knightley and Ryan Reynolds have recently spoken out about the disparities in pay and lack of roles for women in Hollywood, Winslet also revealed her thoughts on the sexism in the industry.

‘I’ve been very fortunate, you know. I’m being asked to play interesting roles and work with very interesting people who are challenging and fun. So far it’s all good,’ she said.

The Dressmaker hits cinemas nationwide today, 20th November 2015.

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