Kate Winslet Regrets Working With Woody Allen and Roman Polanski: “What the F*** Was I Doing?”

After years in the industry, Kate Winslet is reflecting on her career and sharing some regrets she has about the past. In a new interview published today with Vanity Fair, Winslet opened up about her past experiences working with directors Woody Allen and Roman Polanski.

“Life is fucking short and I’d like to do my best when it comes to setting a decent example to younger women. We’re handing them a pretty fucked up world, so I’d like to do my bit in having some proper integrity,” she said. “It’s like, what the fuck was I doing working with Woody Allen and Roman Polanski?

“It’s unbelievable to me now how those men were held in such high regard, so widely in the film industry and for as long as they were. It’s fucking disgraceful. And I have to take responsibility for the fact that I worked with them both. I can’t turn back the clock. I’m grappling with those regrets but what do we have if we aren’t able to just be fucking truthful about all of it?”

Winslet previously worked with Allen in 2017, starring in his film Wonder Wheel. The director, who has been accused of molesting his daughter Dylan Farrow when she was a young girl, has continued to work in Hollywood for decades, most recently creating the upcoming Rifkin’s Festival, set to premiere this year.

In 2011, Winslet starred in Polanski’s film Carnage. The director, who was arrested for raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977, continued to work in the industry for years after his arrest. His win for Best Director at France’s 2020 Cesar Awards sparked protests and outrage over the rape charges he still faces.

Although Winslet spoke out about taking responsibility for working with the directors, she previously told the New York Times in 2017 that she had “an extraordinary experience” working with them both. “As the actor in the film, you just have to step away and say, I don’t know anything, really, and whether any of it is true or false,” she said at the time. “Having thought it all through, you put it to one side and just work with the person. Woody Allen is an incredible director. So is Roman Polanski. I had an extraordinary working experience with both of those men, and that’s the truth.”