Kate Winslet's son who has turned a family tragedy into his first film script

BarcelonaIf it's true that flowerpots resemble pots, Kate Winslet's three children have a good chance of making a name for themselves in the film world. Her eldest two have already taken steps in this direction. This week, Winslet's second son, Joe Anders, presented his first film as a screenwriter. Goodbye JuneA film that also serves as the directorial debut of the renowned British actress. The drama premiered on Netflix on December 24th and is inspired by a biographical event that marked Anders' youth.

Anders' interest in film comes from both her mother and father. In fact, her father also has a pedigree in the world of cinema. He is Sam Mendes, director of films such as American Beauty, Revolutionary Road or the James Bond films Skyfall and SpectroIn 2001, Mendes and Winslet met professionally: he contacted her to offer her a role in one of his theatrical productions, but she, who had a young daughter at the time, declined the project because it represented a long-term commitment. The transition from a professional relationship to a personal one was facilitated by Emma Thompson, a close friend of Winslet's since they filmed together. Sanity and feelingAware that there was mutual interest, he organized a barbecue so they could get to know each other better. In 2003, the couple married in a surprise ceremony in the Caribbean, and a year later their only child together, Joe Anders, was born. He is now making his screenwriting debut. The marriage lasted until 2010.

For his screenwriting debut, Anders drew inspiration from the death of his grandmother, Winslet's mother. The young man began writing the script while studying at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, England, and once finished, he let his mother read it for her feedback. "He told me, 'I've written a script, and it's probably not very good, but could you read it? If it's rubbish, just lie to me.' I read it, and I found it funny, emotional, real, chaotic, and complicated, just like families are. And I said, 'I think this could be a movie.' And... you need to make me feel good.' But it wasn't that; it was actually really good," Winslet explained in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! According to the actress, her son, now 21, followed the advice of a teacher who recommended he write about something he knew. "The biggest earthquake of his life was the death of his grandmother, my mother, when he was a teenager. We're a very old family, but we managed to all get together, which was logistically extraordinary. He's taken this as his emotional backdrop," the actress noted.

Goodbye JuneStarring Winslet herself, Helen Mirren, and Toni Collette, among others, the film centers on four siblings who reunite to be with their mother as her health deteriorates during Christmas. Beyond his career as a screenwriter, Anders has also taken on some acting roles. The first film he acted in was 1917Directed by his father, the film, released in 2019, credits him as Joe Mendes, his new real name. Three years later, he changed his stage name to Joe Anders to avoid comparisons with his parents. His next acting project is the Netflix miniseries. East of EdenA new adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel. Interestingly, the production also has a family history: the writer and screenwriter Zoe Kazan is in charge of the new adaptation, a sister of Elia Kazan, director of the 1955 film version starring James Dean.

An actress sister

Besides Joe Anders, Kate Winslet has two other children. Her eldest, Mia Threapleton, from her first marriage to filmmaker Jim Threapleton, to whom she was married from 1998 to 2001, has also followed in her mother's footsteps in the world of acting and is beginning to build a substantial résumé. This year she premiered The Phoenician plotShe appears in the Wes Anderson film where she plays a rebellious nun. She is also part of the cast of the Apple TV+ period drama. The buccaneers and shared the screen with her mother in the miniseries And Ruthwhere they played a mother and daughter overwhelmed by social media.

Winslet's third child, Bear Blaze, is still a minor—he was born in 2012—and hasn't yet shown any interest in an acting career. The child's father is the actress's third husband, Edward Abel Smith, nephew of the billionaire and for some years legally known as Ned Rocknroll.

For much of her life, Winslet has tried to keep her children as private as possible, and in fact, none of them have social media accounts, even though Anders and Threapleton are now adults. In a 2017 interview with Harper's Bazaar, the British actress prided herself on being a down-to-earth mother. "Just because I'm in a position where I can have things like a chauffeur or a cook doesn't mean I have to. I don't think it would be right for my family. My kids absolutely hated it. I want them to look back and remember my chicken soup and the lunchboxes I made for them, and that it was me who made them."