Kate Winslet Said She "Really Became" Her "Mare of Easttown" Character
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Technically, Kate Winslet played Mare Sheehan in the seven-part limited series Mare of Easttown, which premieres on HBO on Sunday, May 18 at 10 p.m ET. But if you ask Winslet, she would say she became Mare. "She felt like an alter ego for me," Winslet tells Oprah Daily.
The English actress spent 20 months embodying the HBO drama's titular character, a plaid-wearing detective from Pennsylvania, whom Winslet can only describe with a long list of contradictions: "She’s tough, but she’s weak. She’s vulnerable, but she’s strong. She’s disgusting. She’s charming. She’s funny. She’s rude. She’s morally corrupt. She’s morally sound. She is the definition of a multitasking woman and mother just trying her best to get through each day."
Mare starts the show with an astoundingly long list of personal and professional problems. Her former friend's daughter has been missing for a year, and the case has gone cold. She's fighting for custody of her grandson. She has to watch her ex-husband's newfound domestic bliss unfold in the house next door. And she's grieving the loss of her son, who took his own life. Then, teenage Katie Bailey (Caitlin Houlahan) is killed at the end of the first episode, and Mare's compounded issues lead her to make questionable decisions to solve the case.
For Winslet, who has three children, Mare's grief stemming from her son's death is what has lingered most. Winslet was unable to look at Cody Kostro, who plays Mare's son Kevin, in the eyes while filming their scenes together. "That’s painful stuff to act, to create, to carry. That was the hardest part of playing the role. The Kevin stuff has been hard to let go of," she says.
Speaking to Oprah Daily, Winslet opened up about why she's not ready to say goodbye to Mare.
I’m almost surprised to not see you in plaid.
I could go inside and get Mare’s barn jacket, if you want. I brought it home with me.
Why did you bring the jacket home?
I really became this person. Mare became like an alter ego for me. I was playing her for 20 months of my life, with the prep as well. I came to love her. I had to have a souvenir. That barn jacket was her armor. It was her uniform when she didn’t really have one. I have it on my hook. Every now and then, I put it on and say, OK, that’s better.
What about her affected you so deeply?
I do tend to get fairly affected by the roles that I play. But this one, honestly, took over completely. It wasn’t just something I turned up and did and then made dinner for my own family. My poor husband is so thrilled to have me back.
The funny thing is, I want to go back and keep being Mare. I wrote Brad Inglesby, our writer, the other night, and said, "I can’t really believe it’s done." He said, "Now you can put her into the world." I said, "She’s ours." There’s something strange about the handing off of Mare. Have you seen through episode 5?
Yes, I ended at a cliffhanger. Were you surprised when you were reading the script?
I was as surprised as the audience was at the end of each episode. The best test audience in the world, in this time of COVID when there aren’t any test audiences, are one’s own teenage children who did not know the plot and still don’t know the ending. They are utterly obsessed. They’ll send me text messages from school literally saying, ‘Did you get to episode six yet? When’s episode seven coming in?’ It’s my kind of television, I have to be honest. I do really love the show. I love all the characters in it. It feels like a real place—and it is a real place.
Right, and you really filmed in Easttown, PA.
We created our community. We were a tight-knit group of actors and crew. That’s a lot to let go of. It’s like immersing yourself in a great college for a few years and then it’s like, bye! You don’t stop yearning for those people. It’s really been such an amazing experience.
What was the most Pennsylvania thing you did while filming?
I did drink Wawa coffee. [My co-star] Evan Peters started eating this sandwich, I think it’s called the Gobbler. It’s basically like a Thanksgiving meal in a sandwich. He became pretty addicted to the entire Wawa experience. I have to say, I did not. I did have hot Philly pretzels regularly, with mustards.
At one point in the show, you're eating a burger and driving. Were your kids impressed by your motor skills?
No, they see me eat and drive. Laughs. Those are the things about Mare that I love. Any busy mother doesn’t sit down to eat. I mean, I don’t! I’m constantly standing and moving around the kitchen while I’m serving everyone else’s food or rushing to do something else. Mare's car is her office, the place where she eats her meals, and the place where she has private conversations. It was important to make sure there was plenty of eating and bad habits that went on in that car.
How do you hope this show adds to the conversation about violence against women?
Mare of Easttown is about real people and real things that happen. As an actor, you sometimes wish you could solve all of the problems of the world. But telling a story that is hopefully very real and can resonate with people, can make people feel heard. And I hope that people feel heard and acknowledged by the telling of this tale.
New episodes of Mare of Easttown will premiere on Sunday nights in April and May, and will stream on HBO Max.
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