Kate Winslet is reflecting on one of the joys of her career, getting the chance to work alongside her own children.
The actress, 50, opened up about the experience while speaking with PEOPLE at the Goodbye June N.Y.C. special screening on Dec. 8, sharing how much she has learned from watching her kids step into their creative paths.
Winslet, who acted with daughter Mia Threapleton, 25, and son Joe Anders, 21, in the 2021 drama I Am Ruth, also teamed up with Joe again for Goodbye June.
The project marks her directorial debut, and Joe wrote the screenplay.
For her, the biggest takeaway has been discovering who her children are both on and off set.
“I think what I’ve honestly learned about my kids is like, they’re just such good people,” she said, noting that Mia and Joe, whom she shares with ex-husband Sam Mendes, aren’t aware of just how talented they are.
She added that both of them remain grounded and focused on the work itself. Winslet also shares her youngest son, Bear Blaze, 12, with her husband Edward Abel Smith.
She described her kids as “very humble,” explaining that they’ve grown up hearing her stories from set, lessons she picked up, moments that shaped her, and insights passed on by fellow actors and filmmakers.
Seeing that influence show up in their own work ethic has made her even more proud.
According to Winslet, Mia and Joe understand how important collaboration is, simply because “that’s all they’ve ever witnessed in my working life.”
Watching them embrace that mindset gives her confidence in their futures.
“So I just feel excited for them, really, for what’s to come because they can handle it,” she said.
The actress also recently praised Joe’s involvement in Goodbye June, explaining on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that she chose to direct the film to protect the heart of his story.
She recalled telling him she wanted to direct because handing a script to a director means “it becomes theirs,” and she wasn’t ready for that.
Instead, she wanted him to “experience seeing this beautiful thing that he had created come to life.”
Working beside him each day, she said, was “just fantastic,” especially since he “happens to be very, very smart about film.”
Winslet’s reflections highlight not only her admiration for her children’s growing careers, but her belief that they’re entering the industry as grounded, capable and, above all, “good people.”
