It's hard to believe Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind turned 20 earlier this year. Unlike the characters in the film, many will surely never forget the core memories the movie created the first time they watched the science fiction flick, which is about taking great measures to erase an ex from one's brain. And, as it turns out, Kate Winslet feels that way and shared her love of making the Charlie Kaufman film while telling us how it connects to her 2024 movie release, Lee.
CinemaBlend spoke to Kate Winslet about the making of her biopic, which recounts the story of how former model and eventual surrealist photographer Lee Miller ended up on the ground amid World War II. The photog documented some of the most striking images from that period in history. Winslet, who spent nearly a decade working on the film, discussed bringing on director Ellen Kuras, who served as cinematographer for Eternal Sunshine. When I asked Winslet if there was a moment from set years ago that sparked Kuras' hiring, she said this:
There was no specific scene, it was everything. The whole start to finish process of putting the film together. I was on it for five years before Ellen, and I started really talking about her coming on and being the director, and Kate Solomon, my producing partner, was really a key part in building the story with us as a group of women and collaborating in a totally open way and firing off each other and sticking together. And that was very much a part of how Lee also lived her life.
Despite the Holiday star being a proven movie star since her breakout in Titanic, getting Lee made ended up being a test of patience for the actress and her collaborators, who had a specific vision in mind. Per People, the actress recalled coming up against male executives who would ask her “Why should I like this woman?” Thankfully, she stood her ground for seven years of development, because the film beautifully captures a nuanced figure in history who deserves to be celebrated.
It's likely that the A-list actress' reunion with Ellen Kuras had something to do with this. If you’ve rewatched Eternal Sunshine lately, you probably know it’s still one of Kate Winslet’s best movies (and one of the most memorably poignant breakup films ever made). Winslet also said this during our exclusive interview:
We were also trying to honor the decisions that [Lee Miller] would've made, how she would have done things, how she would have seen things and treated other people. And it was just a fantastic experience and bringing in the cast that we had. All those wonderful actors who came on and kind of stayed on and are still supportive now. The crew that we had, a lot of them were people that I had known for a number of years who I'd worked with on other things when I was 19, 22, 25. And, to have their support and their energy in coming into this independent film was really incredibly important. And that shared history I had with them made a really big difference too.
There’s really nothing like working with people you already know and trust, and that was important to Kate Winslet for Lee, whether that be the cast or crew. (For example: Contagion’s Marion Cotillard and Winslet's co-star from The Regime, Andrea Risebrough, are among the biopic's ensemble). She also brought on actors she’s never worked with before, such as Andy Samberg in his first dramatic role, as Miller’s right-hand photographer on the battlefield, David E. Scherman.
On the whole, there's some seriously excellent filmmaking on display in Lee, thanks to the efforts of Kate Winslet, Ellen Kuras and their collaborators. That's just one of the reasons that you should check it out in theaters now.
