Why Kate Winslet Keeps Her Oscar In The Bathroom

Awards season is an exciting one — but what do stars do once they earn a coveted statue? Where do those shiny, glamorous trophies go? Something you may not know about actor Kate Winslet is that her Oscar is in a rather unexpected and somewhat strange place. Winslet took home the Best Actress award at the 2009 Academy Awards for her role in "The Reader." In that film, she played an Auschwitz guard on trial after World War II. However, in February 2010, Winslet told GMTV that her Best Actress Oscar is kept in her bathroom.

"Everybody wants to hold it and goes, 'Oh my gosh,' and 'How heavy is it?' So I figured if I put it in the loo, then people can avoid the whole, 'Where's your Oscar?' thing," admitted, per Us Weekly. In a 2015 interview with WSJ Magazine, Winslet said that she also expects her guests to hold up the statue in the bathroom mirror for fake acceptance speeches. " — and you can always tell when someone has," Winslet added, "because they're in there a little bit longer after they flushed. They'll come out looking slightly pink-cheeked. It's hysterical." 

When Winslet was a guest on the British talk show "Lorraine," she explained how prior to her own Oscar win, she visited Emma Thompson's house and noticed her Oscar on the back of her toilet. Winslet took a moment to hold it and pretend to win. Later on, the fantasy came true when she got her own Oscar!

Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson are in good company — Hunter King also keeps one of her two Emmy awards in the bathroom. But prior to taking the trophy to its strange new home, Winslet had to give an acceptance speech. Her emotional speech at the 2009 awards even included a reference to bathrooms. Winslet told the crowd, "I'd be lying if I haven't made a version of this speech before. I think I was probably 8 years old and staring into the bathroom mirror. And this would've been a shampoo bottle. Well, it's not a shampoo bottle now!"

That line got applause from the audience, and Winslet went on to express gratitude for making it this far and give thanks to her loved ones and everyone who worked on "The Reader" with her.

In 2021, Winslet recorded a "Behind the Oscars Speech" video for the Oscars YouTube channel. While reminiscing about that exciting win, she said the standing ovation was the best feeling. Winslet also divulged that she memorized an acceptance speech ahead of time in case she won and had told "The Reader" cast and crew to look out for an ear tug, which meant, "I love you all."

During an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," Kate Winslet also spoke about her Oscar's odd home and her guests' love of playing around with it. The "Mare of Easttown" actor explained how she was still excited about the win, even though it had been years ago at that point. "Well you see," Winslet said, "The thing is, you get really good at losing when you get nominated more than a couple of times." However, 2009 was a year of many wins, since Winslet also won two Golden Globes: one was also for "The Reader," when Winslet earned Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture. The other award was for "Revolutionary Road," for which Winslet won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama.

The star didn't play coy about how great that felt, along with how great the Oscar win was that same year. She also shared that the Oscar statue is heavier than it might seem, and again confirmed that everyone wants their turn with it.

"And so the best place really for Oscar is actually the loo," Winslet said. "Because then, when everyone goes in for a wee or a poo, they can really take their time in front of the mirror with Oscar. And you can always tell because they flush and then there's about another five minutes." When Winslet asks what they thought, people usually remark on the Oscar's weight.