Kate Winslet is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. It’s hard to remember a time when she wasn’t lighting up red carpets, but Winslet was once just another up-and-coming actress.
She attended her first Oscars ceremony in 1996, and the look is exactly what you’d expect from such an elegant star.
Winslet’s First Oscar Nom Came Just Five Years After Her Screen Debut
For Winslet, acting runs in the family; her father and maternal grandparents were actors as well. She started appearing in local theater productions when she was a child and made her screen debut in 1991 on BBC’s Dark Season.
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Just five years later, Winslet scored her first Oscar nomination. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 1995’s Sense and Sensibility. Like any other young actor, Winslet was pretty nervous about the big night.
“There’s no point denying that it’s blown me absolutely away. There’s no point in saying I’m taking it all in my stride,” she said in an interview before the Oscars ceremony.
“There’s no point in saying, ‘Of course I’ve got my frock’ because I have none of that stuff. I’m all over the place. I’m incredibly nervous. Thank God my mom and dad are gonna be there because otherwise I’m sure I would fall apart at the seams.”
Winslet’s Red Carpet Look Payed Homage To Another Hollywood Star
By the time Oscar night rolled around, Winslet had gotten her “frock” and was ready to walk the red carpet. The actress stepped out in a bright pink Vivienne Westwood gown. She added to the Old Hollywood feel with a darker pink silk wrap and a dazzling diamond necklace.
Winslet’s hot pink dress and sparkly jewelry reminded many viewers of Marilyn Monroe’s world-famous “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” outfit. Monroe wore a similar pink satin dress and diamond necklace for the Gentlemen Prefer Blondes musical number.
Her Many Oscar Nominations
Winslet lost out on the Oscar that year—Mira Sorvino took home the trophy for her performance in Mighty Aphrodite—but she was all smiles with reporters as she left the ceremony.
“[The nomination] certainly has increased the whole fame level and suddenly I’m kind of famous or sort of getting that way,” Winslet laughed.
“I haven’t really stopped to think about who won what. All I remember is that Braveheart, Braveheart, Braveheart, Braveheart.” The Mel Gibson-directed movie was a huge success that year, taking home five trophies.
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The actress would go on to be nominated another six times for her roles in Titanic, Iris, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Little Children, The Reader, and Steve Jobs.
She won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in The Reader. Winslet’s first big red carpet look as an up-and-coming actress was a wonderful homage to Old Hollywood glamour.