"You’ve got this. OK, let’s do it!”
Imagine being an amateur journalist, and your very first celebrity interview is one of Hollywood’s biggest names, promoting one of Hollywood’s biggest movies.
Nerve-wracking? Yeah, I think so.
Such was the situation for Martha, a "kinderreporterin,” aka child reporter from German TV network ZDF, who was tasked with interviewing Kate Winslet as part of an international press junket for “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
Thankfully, the celebrity she sat down with is first and foremost a lovely human being.
As soon as Martha shyly admitted this was her very first interview, Winslet immediately threw away any notion of formal interview etiquette and chose instead to comfort the young journalist.
“This is your first time doing it?” Winslet asked. Then, leaning in toward Martha, she said confidently, “OK, well guess what? When we do this interview, it’s going to be the most amazing interview ever.”
Never breaking eye contact, she continued, “And do you know why? Because we’ve decided that it’s going to be. So, we’ve decided right now, me and you, that this is going to be a really fantastic interview.”
Kate Winslet boosting the confidence of a young journalist is the adorable content you need to see today 🥺💖 pic.twitter.com/sWYhZ0YRkt
— Metro (@MetroUK) January 9, 2023
Going into full-on mom mode, she concluded, “And you can ask me anything that you want, and you don’t have to be scared. Everything is going to be amazing. OK? You’ve got this. OK, let’s do it!”
And so they did. The interview (which can be viewed in German here) went swimmingly as Winslet shared how she got started as an actress, what it’s like to do a fake vomit scene and her love of cooking. At the end, the pair took a selfie together. Mission accomplished.The wholesome clip quickly circulated online, making folks feel all warm and fuzzy inside to see Winslet completely lift the young girl up.
One fellow journalist who shared the video to Twitter wrote, “Junkets can be really nerve wracking. Words of encouragement and kindness like this can go such a long way,” calling the interview “the most precious thing I’ve ever seen.”
This reporter's career is off to a great start.
Not all celebrities use their status to empower others. But it’s something Winslet excels at, especially when it comes to advocating for other women. Being able to shine a spotlight on others has long been hailed as a sign of good leadership, and it’s clear that the actress willingly assumes that responsibility with pride.
Plus, it's a refreshing shift away from the usual antagonistic fanfare that often gets highlighted between celebrities and journalists. Take a six-second scroll online and you'll find plenty of videos showing actors, musicians and other icons "shutting down" reporters and "ripping them to shreds." But instead of that, we get to be part of an authentic conversation between two people, and witness women of different generations forming a real connection. Maybe it's not as scintillating, but it's definitely more inspiring.
As one person so deftly put it, “There were already plenty of reasons to love Kate Winslet. Now there’s one more.”