It is a bit of a cliche to say it, but Beth really does have one of those smiles that lights up a room, which is a real shame as there was not really much call for smiling in our script, quite the opposite in fact.
In the film, Beth plays a woman in a very melancholy state of mind, but she was able to imbue the character with a real vulnerability and compassion. With no dialog to hang the performance on it could have been so easy to over act the part, but Beth delivered an incredibly restrained and understated performance that, because of it, carries a much greater emotional punch. In short, Beth gave us everything we had hope for in the character and more.
Beth kindly wrote this for the blog:
"When I met Phil and Liz for the first time, They put me through a tricky improv session (my worst kind of audition!) but using the framework of the script, for the first time ever, I found myself enjoying it. Then suddenly i got that scary feeling of 'I actually really want to do this project.'
Then I was called back to workshop the piece with Clive and we all
just clicked together. When the casting director Lin rang me a few weeks
after to offer me the job I was in a muddy field at a festival and despite
the music and chaos, I jumped around and shrieked and had a celebratory beer
or three with my mates! It's rare to find a project that has such simple
honesty behind it.
Filming was a bit of a battle with weather, time,
light...the usual suspects, but the crew and Phil remained calm and together
throughout, giving myself and Clive the space to do our thing. Clive is an
extraordinary actor, with a balance of strength and sensitivity that meant he
could play his role brilliantly, and which gave me the right energy to play
mine. Phil was fantastic. I spent a couple of days sobbing for the film and
he allowed me to feel safe enough to display that vulnerability. Thank you
Phil, Liz, Clive, Sue, Jo and all the crew for making Tree such a
memorable experience." - Beth Winslet.
Towards the end of the shoot Beth pointed out to me that every time that we had meet, I'd made her cry. It was true, but in my defense can I just say that it was all in the line of duty.
Beth is currently wrapping up a 2 month stint of filming in Italy on a feature film. A role I am reliably informed that involves no crying whatsoever.
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