Kate Winslet fans, what you’ve long wanted has finally happened. Winslet’s directorial debut, Goodbye June, opens in select theaters today before hitting Netflix on Christmas Eve. A move to directing is what many have hoped for and expected from Winslet, who has worked with pretty much every A-list filmmaker over the course of her career. She was also married at one time to Sam Mendes. The Oscar, Emmy, and BAFTA Award-winning star waited for just the right moment and just the right film, deciding on one penned by her son Joe Anders and loosely based on personal experiences that impacted them both.
Goodbye June stars Helen Mirren, Andrea Riseborough, Toni Collette, Timothy Spall, Johnny Flynn, and Winslet herself. Mirren plays the titular family matriarch who, in the run-up to Christmas, is confined to a hospital bed with terminal cancer. But the tough-as-nails June doesn’t let it get her down, and instead uses the situation to help bring her warring family together, one last time.
Winslet plays the middle daughter, Julia, whose professional success has stolen away time from her family. Riseborough is the youngest daughter, Molly, who has never seen eye-to-eye with Julia, mostly over parenting styles. And then there’s Collette as the eldest daughter, Helen, a new age birth counselor out in her own world far away from the rest of the family.
If you’re going to make your directorial debut, make it easy on yourself with a cast as amazing as this.
I had the chance to speak with Kate Winslet about Goodbye June, and how she feels about the excitement surrounding her directorial debut. I also spoke with Andrea Riseborough and Toni Collette about their roles in the film, and the fun they had taking part in Winslet’s first time behind the camera.
You can find both interviews below, and my review of Goodbye June here! Thank you for watching, and please consider subscribing to the YouTube channel for more.
