Kate Winslet Looking Forward to Taking Break From Acting

Splash News Online

Following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie, actress Kate Winslet is gearing up for some downtime with her family after a string of critically-acclaimed film roles. “Acting is great, I love it, but it’s bloody hard work, incredibly time-consuming and really challenging,” she tells the Daily Mail. “Since my son was born, I’ve played a lot of very demanding parts, and you get to a certain point where you just need a break.” Kate adds,

“I want to be a mum — not a mum who’s at work all the time.”

From the sound of things, 8-year-old Mia Honey and her 5-year-old little brother Joe Alfie might wind up wishing that their mum would head back to work after all! While Kate says she doesn’t consider herself to be ”strict,” she nonetheless has at least a few rules that are strictly enforced. “We have a structure, of course, or there’d be chaos,” she explains. Noting that “kids need to sleep,” Kate reveals that she’s “not someone who lets their kids stay up until 10 p.m;” Instead, Mia and Joe are in bed by 7:30 p.m., sharp! “If they don’t, they don’t function properly and don’t get the most out of life,” Kate says.

“My kids know the difference between right and wrong – they know jumping on the bed isn’t allowed, for instance.”

Keeping things consistent is also important to Kate, who notes that ”children love routine.” That’s why she keeps their time on set to a minimum. “It’s boring for a kid, and I don’t want them to wait all day to see Mummy, and then I only have a minute to spend with them,” she says. “That would be destructive.”

Mia is Kate’s daughter with ex-husband Jim Threapleton. Joe is her son with husband Sam Mendes.

Source: Daily Mail

Comments

I totally agree with kate. Kids love routine.

- liv on January 27th, 2009

Wow. When I was 8, my bedtime was 9 or 10. I was a night owl. My older brother and I are three years apart and there’s an 8 year gap between me and my younger brother. So he would see us stay up late and wouldn’t want to go to bed so his bedtime was around 9 or 9:30 when he was seven years old.Everyone has a different routine I guess. The age gap between Kate Winslet’s children is perfect. That’s good that she’s taking a break from acting.

- Alicia on January 27th, 2009

I have a 7 and 4 year old and this is the same bedtime I aim for, with 30 minutes wiggle room on either side. On the weekends they get to stay up later, depending on their behavior and how tired they are. They wake up at the same time if they go to bed at 7:30 or 9 pm, the difference is how easily they tire after they have a later night.

- Trish on January 27th, 2009

When my friend was 14, he had to be in bed by 7:00

- aimy on January 27th, 2009

Sometimes quotes like these rub me the wrong way- and I know they shouldnt because Kate seems like a lovely person.

But, all these celebrities who say “I want to be a mum, not a mum who works all the time” have already earnt millions & millions with back to back movies, and could happily be a stay at home mum until there kids have completely grown up? So if acting is really that “bloody hard” and you want to be a fulltime mum, just do it, and be happy you can choose that lifestyle!

Lets face it, actors are overpaid (Eg: Kate gets paid several million per movie) and Im sure the majority of people working 9/10 hour days, getting paid $60,000 a year, find it hard to hear actresses moaning about their “draining” schedule!!

End of rant

- iluvallbabies on January 27th, 2009

My 9 and 7 year old go to bed at 7:30 on a school night. They have no problem falling asleep, and I have to wake them to get ready for school. They obviously need the sleep.

- Colleen on January 27th, 2009

Yeah, I’m with you iluvallbabies. As much as I like Kate as an actress it is kind of grating to hear her and other actors talk about how hard and draining their work is when 99% of it is elective. It’s one thing to be a truly working actor, and another to be in a place financially where work is a choice. She’s way past the point that she *has* to work–I relate more to people like Kyra Sedgwick or Phoebe Cates who took long hiatuses from their careers to raise their kids and didn’t have to talk about the “struggle” to be away from them.

- Erica on January 27th, 2009

Considering how much movie companies make off these actors I don’t think what they earn is that much. I see nothing wrong with her quote about saying she just wants to be a Mum and not a working Mum. Good for her! She is very fortunate and has worked hard to get there. If she would have said that she would rather work than stay at home with her kids I’m sure there would be women on here criticizing her for that choice. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

My 8yo’s bedtime is 8:30. It has been 8pm up until this year when she entered Grade 3. She sleeps in so she gets almost 12 hours a night which she really needs. If she even gets only 2 hours less she is cranky by the end of school.

- Lorus on January 28th, 2009

She must be a really cool and beautiful mother! I want to be like her when I have my own babies

- Sexy Female Models on January 28th, 2009

But Erica and iluvallbabies, not every actress is only in this business for the money. Of course Kate has more than enough money to never work again. But she still loves being an actress and loves working as well. The reason why (despite the money) someone like Kate can’t take months and months off is because otherwise there is a chance that in a years time she will get offered less roles because she has been out for so long. And lets not forget that getting good acting roles is even harder in Hollywood for a woman. So perhaps think about it that Kate is not talking about not always being able to take time off financial-wise, but when you are being offered amazing roles as a female actor, saying no is not always an option because they are so easily replaced with an actress that will say yes. Sad but true. Being a famous actor isn’t always about making money, its about getting those roles you desire so much and trying to combine that as much as you can with motherhood.

- Kim on January 28th, 2009

Kate is great. If she wants a break, she wants a break.

The more you earn the more you need – I’ve always thought that was true for most of us, Celebs included.
It’s like Tom Cruise saying enough is enough. My family is secure, I have enough to provide for them threefold. I will now work for free.

Of course actors will continue to work and I think some of them work damn hard.
I don’t begrudge Celeb families that have more money than I do.
But I do dislike the ones that think themselves better than the rest of us because of that money, and unfortunately there is too many of them around IMO.

Money comes and goes whether that money is $5000 or $50 000000

Actors work for their families, as we all do. Of course they are going to moan about it sometimes, it’s their work

- Kelpy on January 28th, 2009

I’m sure you guys are aware of this but 99% of actors are unemployed. It’s a extremely small portion that is “overpaid” (and that’s arguable anyway, given what her skills make for a studio, but I understand that you mean in comparison to the rest of the population). Kate Winslet is an actress, but she’s also a movie star. Most actors are not and their salaries very much reflect that. It’s only about money and choice in a tiny little piece in one city.

- Chiara on January 28th, 2009

Given the hours that actors often have to work, I don’t blame her for wanting a break. They’re often working 12+ hour days, not to mention all the traveling for promotion. Maybe Kate does have enough money to stop working, but why should she? I’ll bet a big part of the reason she’s in the industry she’s in is personal fulfillment. Everyone needs to do something for themselves. Even if she has plenty of money, if Kate enjoys acting, she should be able to do so without criticism.

Anyway, I could see her comment about not being a working mom simply meaning that, she works crazy hours, and she’s ready to give that a rest and be at home with her kids for awhile. I highly, highly doubt she’s insinuating that moms who work are neglecting their kids, or whatever.

- Jane on January 28th, 2009

Well personally I think several million dollars for 10-12 weeks of filming is just absolutely ridiculous. I know only a select few get paid this much, but when you consider surgeons who save peoples lives dont even get 1/10th of this per year, or the Australian Prime Minister gets $230,000 per year to run our country- it does seems completely warped.

It irritates ME to hear actors moan, when they are obviously in a very fortunate position and they pick these MAJOR roles. Im not saying they need to put all their passions and desires aside to raise a child, but there are other outlets (smaller roles, theatre) that they could dabble in, if money and recognition isnt the major motivator….without moaning about how “bloody hard and draining” there job is.

Anyway, thats my opinion on it

- iluvallbabies on January 28th, 2009

I do think major actors are over paid, but if you do the math-the amount of hours they work a day for those 3 months or 4 months is about equal to what the average person works throughout the year.

A major actor works about 14 hour days, for 3 or 4 months..is anywhere from 1,260-1,680

average worker=8 hour days x (50 weeks x 5 days)=250 days=2,000 hours

- Mia on January 28th, 2009

I just love her…her films, her laid-back attitude about things, the way she carries herself (not a publicity seeker), her figure, and most of all, how she really seems like a normal person, normal mom, not a celebrity. We don’t hear about her million dollar homes, extravagant vacations, designer clothes that are her “favorites”, etc. I wish more celebrities were like her…and really, does she ever pick bad films or make bad films? I’ll say it again…I just love her. Got a little crush…:)

- Laura on January 28th, 2009