Kate Winslet reluctantly added directing to her producing and acting roles on her son Joe Anders' Christmas family drama Goodbye June after Netflix rejected her push for another director. The film, starring Winslet alongside Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn, and Helen Mirren, is in select theaters ahead of its Netflix premiere on December 24.
Kate Winslet ventured into directing Goodbye June—her son Joe Anders' heartfelt holiday tale of siblings reuniting amid their mother's terminal illness—despite serious reservations about juggling multiple hats. (See our [overview article](link-to-existing) for full plot, cast details, production info, and reviews.)
Winslet shared in a Digital Spy interview her discomfort: “I know I’m good at multitasking, but this is too many things.” She even compiled a list of potential directors to replace herself: “I desperately tried to recast myself [and] had a really good list of a handful of people who would have been absolutely brilliant in that role.” Netflix firmly declined: “Uh-uh.”
Ultimately, the lure of the 'incredible actors' she had cast proved irresistible: “How could I not go and play with them? Because that’s what we do. We play, we pretend and it’s an amazing thing.”
Reflecting in a Deadline discussion with Baz Bamigboye, Winslet said the experience deepened her respect for directors: “I’m always very supportive of directors I work with... But I think it will just make me, probably, just much more supportive really…”
