Kate Winslet Teams Up With Son Joe Anders For Her First Feature As Director
Kate Winslet is stepping into a brand-new role and she is doing it with the help of her son. The 49-year-old Oscar winner is making her feature-film directorial debut with Goodbye June, a heartfelt holiday drama penned by her 21-year-old son, Joe Anders.
The story follows four adult siblings and their father as they are thrown into chaos when their quick-witted mother June faces declining health. But June, played by Helen Mirren, orchestrates her final chapter with sharp humor, blunt honesty, and love.
The film boasts an all-star cast including Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough and Timothy Spall, alongside Mirren in the title role.
For Kate, taking on the challenge of directing wasn’t just a career move. She told Deadline that she and Joe initially considered handing the script off to another filmmaker, but the thought didn’t sit right with her. Having “suddenly felt like I’d been stabbed in the gut,” she admitted. “I don’t think I can let it go. I don’t think I can give it away, Joe… I want for us to really feel like we’ve done this. I want to direct it.”
Joe, her middle child with ex-husband Sam Mendes, agreed, and the project became a true family effort. Kate said once the decision was made, she approached the film with “massive energy,” determined to bring everyone along for the ride.
Although she has never directed a feature before, Kate explained that decades of being on set have given her the instincts she needs. “…I’ve been around enough actors to, I think, have some degree of instinct about what’s helpful and what’s not,” she said, noting that she’s been influenced by filmmakers like Francis Lee and Todd Haynes, as well as a community of creatives she’s worked with over the years.
As she approaches her milestone 50th birthday this October, Kate says it feels “great to have directed my first film in the 50th year of my life as a woman.”
Goodbye June will open in select theaters on December 12 before arriving on Netflix just in time for Christmas on December 24.
