Kate Winslet has earned a fantastic reputation throughout her long career in movies, so it’s no surprise she attracted a lot of talented actors for her directorial debut, Goodbye June.
This Christmas drama, penned by Kate Winslet’s 21-year-old son, Joe Alwyn, features a strong cast including Timothy Spall, Andrea Riseborough, Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, and Winslet herself. However, many believe Helen Mirren truly shines as the standout performer.
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When asked how she got Helen Mirren involved, Kate Winslet explained, ‘Honestly, I didn’t have to persuade her at all. I would never try to convince someone to do something if they weren’t already enthusiastic about it.’
She explained that she had spoken with the actress on the phone and shared the plot. She then revealed the actress had told her, ‘I’m not interested in roles where the character has cancer or dementia.’
When she said she wasn’t sure she needed the script, I instantly told her not to worry about it at all – I totally got it. But she insisted! She read it, and honestly, I was floored when she said she’d make an exception to her usual rules. She loved the script and wanted to help my son and me get our project off the ground. It was amazing!
As soon as Winslet heard the exciting news, she told Anders, and both were so surprised that Mirren had agreed.
The Titanic actor shared that it was challenging for Helen Mirren to portray the character.
She described Helen, who is eighty years old, as looking remarkably like she’s in her sixties. She added that Helen is very physically fit, incredibly sharp mentally, and a genuinely good person – funny and practical too.
She also mentioned that portraying a character who was deeply troubled presented a real challenge for Mirren. Before filming began, she even asked Winslet if they could be mindful of not excessively discussing the emotional weight of their scenes.
I understood immediately, because I can relate as an actress,” she explained. “But she told me, ‘I just need you to focus on what happens each day so I can plan backwards and determine how much time we have until the final nativity scene at the end of the movie’.
It really affected her, and I just told her plainly, ‘Lie down and stay still. We’ll move you upstairs for the nativity scene in six hours.’ She needed that clear, simple instruction, and honestly, the whole situation was amazing.
The film Goodbye June is now playing in UK cinemas and will be available to stream on Netflix starting Wednesday, December 24th.
Authors
Patrick Cremona writes about movies for TopMob, covering both theatrical releases and streaming titles. He’s been with the site since October 2019, and during that time has interviewed many famous actors and reviewed a wide variety of films.
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2025-12-15 16:34