Kate Winslet On the Titanic Door Debate and How She’d Respond to Body Shamers Today

Kate Winslet shared her opinion on a 'Titanic' conspiracy theory and has a message for those who body-shamed her when the iconic film was released.

If you're a millennial, you can probably recall watching Titanic for the first time and wondering how the film could kill off Leonardo DiCaprio's beloved Jack just as he and Kate Winslet's character, Rose, were settling into their epic love story. And possibly, you felt even more cheated of their happy ending because Jack's death felt like...maybe it wasn't inevitable?

Enter: The infamous Titanic "door debate," which has been ongoing for a full 25 years. The debate questions whether Jack could have fit onto the door that kept Winslet's character afloat after the Titanic hit the iceberg, sending its passengers into the ocean. Many fans believe Jack could have survived had he climbed onto the door alongside Rose — and now it's clear where Winslet lands where this debate is concerned.

Winslet shared her thoughts on an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast. Her take on the door debate? "You just have to make a joke of it, don't you?" Winslet answered when asked to share her thoughts. "I don't f— know. That's the answer ... I don't f—know."

Winslet did go on to elaborate — and provide a more definitive answer.

"I have to be honest; I actually don't believe that we would have survived if we had both gotten on that door," said Winslet, who is no stranger to underwater activity. "I think that he could have fit, but it would have tipped ... and it would not have been a sustainable idea. So you heard it here for the first time: Yes, he could have fit on that door, but it would not have stayed afloat."

Winslet also spoke up about another part of the film's legacy: The comments on her body that colored the discourse surrounding the film. "Apparently I was 'too fat'," Winslet said. "Why were they so mean to me? They were so mean. I wasn't even f— fat."

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The actress went on to discuss the way culture around body commentary has shifted since the film's 1997 release, and she spoke up about how she would respond to the body-shaming if she were given a chance to go back in time.

"If I could turn back the clock, I would have used my voice in a completely different way," said Winslet. "I would have said 'Don't you dare treat me like this. I'm a young woman. My body is changing. I'm figuring it out. I'm deeply insecure. I'm terrified. Don't make this any harder than it already is.'"

"That's bullying and actually borderline abusive," she continued. "And now that wouldn't happen. And if it did happen, a young actor would truly respond in exactly the way I just did. ... This nonsense of commenting on bodies and how women look, it's getting better, but we've still got such a ways to go."

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With a definitive answer to the Titanic door debate, it's clear that Winslet is ready to move on from the age-old hypothetical — and the body shamers who made her feel insecure back then, too.