I Am Ruth star Kate Winslet has reflected on the impact of the show following her win at tonight’s (May 14) BAFTAs ceremony.
The actress spoke to the press following her win for Best Actress at tonight’s awards, and explained that the Channel 4 series had a profound influence on her and the wider public.
“I’m so proud because we made something that really touched people,” she said. “It was something that people thought about and talked about, and are still talking about - people still come up to me in the street and talk about it.
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“That’s the most powerful thing about the job that we do – sometimes you can really reach people,” she continued. “That’s why we made I Am Ruth, this single drama – I am staggeringly grateful.”
The one-off drama, which saw the actress collaborate with writer Dominic Savage, followed the titular character (Winslet) and daughter Freya (Winslet’s real-life daughter, Mia Threapleton) as they try to forge a healthier relationship in the age of social media.
Speaking about her collaboration with Savage, Winslet added: “Parts of everyone were in this story. That makes it very precious – it makes this moment feel extremely different and unique [from her past award wins].
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“We managed to create something that has stayed amongst people, and that’s a huge privilege as an actor,” she said. “The mental health crisis amongst teenagers because of the damage of social media doesn’t seem to be getting any better – the reason we created this film is so somebody might go: ‘Hang on, that’s me and that’s happening to us.’
“Everything about this was overwhelming and hard – it was a very fragile and vulnerable experience for all of us,” she added. “But it was an incredible time because we had to throw ourselves at it with a huge amount of commitment and trust. Dominic has crafted something very truthful and sincere.”
As well as Winslet’s win for Best Actress, I Am Ruth also took home the award for Best Single Drama.
I Am Ruth is available to watch on All4 now.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
