Kate Winslet Faces Criticism from British for Golden Globes Acceptance Speech

When British-born actress Kate Winslet won two Golden Globes at the 2009 ceremony (and a well-known predictor of potential Oscar success), she gave a heartfelt and off-the-cuff acceptance speech. Often on the brink of tears throughout the speech and visibly nervous, Winslet reminded herself out loud to "gather" (keep her cool, in other words) and gave effusive praise for her co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio, along with her husband and Revolutionary Road's director, Sam Mendes.

American television viewers and critics widely applauded her acceptance speeches; Winslet has received a lot of attention and nominations, but few actual wins... until now. American audiences, who always love a middle-class-to-riches story, enjoyed seeing Winslet's surprise and apparent humility at the 2009 Golden Globes award ceremony.

British audiences, however, perceived it differently. British culture often promotes a sense austerity and quiet confidence ("stiff upper lip") as opposed to openly displaying emotions or feelings. Winslet was certainly not reserved in her acceptance speeches; this bothered many newspapers in England in addition to a wide swath of Brit bloggers.

To them, Winslet's surprise seemed contrived at best, and downright manipulative at worst (she got a lot of media attention for the acceptance speeches; she has two movies in theatres now that stand to benefit big-time from such publicity, Revolutionary Road and The Reader.)

In the end, I think the British criticism and American applause comes down to a difference of cultures. We like heartfelt displays of emotion and we love to root for an underdog; traditional British culture suggests that even the famous should "keep their cool" when surprised or celebrated with an award.

Genuine or not (I think it was genuine), Winslet's acceptance speeches certainly put the spotlight on her and the films she is starring in this season. That is the best sacrifice an actor or actress can make for a movie; to create attention for it and get people to see it, even if the press isn't all positive or fawning.