Kate Winslet Once Shared That Her Love Scene With Saoirse Ronan Was Some of Her Proudest Work
Actor Kate Winslet has done several steamy love scenes in her decades in front of the camera. But she was at her most comfortable simulating intimacy with Saoirse Ronan.
Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan were fully in charge of their love scene
Winslet and Ronan had full control over the choreography of their love scene. The movie saw the Oscar-winner playing Ronan’s lover in the film. They originally had an intimacy coach to help with their scene, but they dismissed their instructor after feeling that they didn’t need him.
“We had a gay man who was helping us choreograph a sex scene between two women. And Kate and I went, ‘Well, we know more about that than you do.’ He was very good at taking a step back and allowing us to take the reins with those scenes in particular. It was fun! We literally did a step-by-step from one sex scene to the next. Every single movement was choreographed,” Ronan once told Nerdist.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Winslet also remarked on her love scene with Ronan. She offered a little insight into how she choreographed her scene with the younger star, which was unlike any of her past love scenes.
”It’s definitely not like eating a sandwich. I just think Saoirse and I, we just felt really safe. Francis [Lee, the director] was naturally very nervous. And I just said to him, ‘Listen, let us work it out.’ And we did. ‘We’ll start here. We’ll do this with the kissing, boobs, you go down there, then you do this, then you climb up here,’” Winslet reflected. “I mean, we marked out the beats of the scene so that we were anchored in something that just supported the narrative. I felt the proudest I’ve ever felt doing a love scene on Ammonite. And I felt by far the least self-conscious.”
Kate Winslet’s love scene with Saoirse Ronan made her think of her past love scenes differently
Winslet always felt that she voiced her opinion and exerted as much control as she could in love scenes prior to Ammonite. But the 2020 period piece had her looking at her history a bit differently through hindsight.
“Of course, we were going to feel safe and of course it was going to feel equal, but it felt so abundantly filled with equality and connection and respect. It was just wonderful to share in that with Saoirse [Ronan] and it really did make me question how much I’ve truly used my voice in the past,” Winslet once told Collider.
Her experience filming Ammonite with Ronan further established their connection with their characters. Given the film’s time period, there was a sense of freedom their characters experienced during their love scene. Winslet believed she experienced a similar freedom on set as well.
“I’ve always felt like I have done that but it, for sure, made me take a step back and question how willing I’ve to step into conventional stereotypes because removing the conventional stereotypes just became so easy. Everything was just easy and connected,” Winslet said.
Kate Winslet made sure her love scene with Saoirse Ronan took place during Ronan’s 25th birthday
In an interview with Fashion, Winslet explained that she was surprised by how protective she felt over her much younger co-star. The film veteran had already been well-versed in love scenes, which Ronan lacked as much experience in. Her attention went into making sure the Little Women star was as relaxed and as comfortable as possible during the moment.
At the same time, Winslet wanted the scene in question to be a special memory to Ronan. The Titanic actor noticed that Ronan’s birthday was coming up around the same time they were going to shoot their love scene. But Winslet decided to change things around a little bit.
“We filmed that scene on her 25th birthday,” Winslet said. “I actually asked them to reschedule the scene and they pulled it days forward so that it would fall on her 25th birthday, I thought, ‘Hey, it’s a memory,’ you know? I just knew that there’d be a sense of fun and celebration around that day for her.”
