It’s been nearly 20 years since Heavenly Creatures hit theaters and Kate Winslet walked into Melanie Lynskey’s life—and roughly just as much time has passed since the two were inseparable. The pair met while starring opposite of one another in the 1994 crime thriller. Much like their characters, the actresses had an increasingly intense friendship; but their magnetic chemistry wasn’t strong enough to weather Winslet’s shot to stardom in the late '90s.
Looking back, Lynskey says the untethering of their close bond shook her more than a breakup. “When I lost touch with Kate, it was more heartbreaking than some breakups that I’ve had,” she revealed during a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. Keep reading to learn more about their falling out and what Lynskey honestly thinks of her ex-best friend today.
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She said their fallout wasn’t because of bad blood.
Monica Schipper / FilmMagic / Getty ImagesWhile Hollywood gained a starlett, Lynskey lost her best friend. Following their 1994 joint film, Winslet went on to land leading roles in blockbuster hits such as Sense and Sensibility, Jude, Hamlet, and most notably, Titanic. Winslet was in high demand and as a result, she and Lynskey began to “drift apart.”
“It was so painful, and it wasn’t like anything happened,” Lynskey said on the podcast. “It’s just she became a gigantic, international movie star, and she didn’t have a lot of time, and then, suddenly, she’d be in Los Angeles and not have time.”
The crumbling of their friendship was extremely “painful” for the Yellowjackets star.
She described their friendship as a “love affair.”
Gareth Cattermole/ Getty ImagesThe only thing more sad than breaking up with a lover is unwillingly breaking up with your best friend. Lynskey would know. In a 2012 interview with Time magazine, the Don’t Look Up actress described her friendship with Winslet as “very intense,” even more so than “some love affairs.”
“We developed such a bond that for a long time we couldn’t let it go. We would write each other letters and talk on the phone all the time. We were in constant contact for so long,” she said, adding that everything changed when Titanic came out. “I was staying with her right after she filmed that and then we totally lost touch at that time.”
They haven’t seen each other in 14 years.
Kevin Winter / Getty ImagesBusy schedules still keep the former best friends apart. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Lynskey admitted that she hasn’t seen her Heavenly Creatures co-star since 2009. Even then, the two weren’t grabbing lunch and catching up. They bumped into one another at the red-carpet premiere of Away We Go. Lynskey was starring in the romantic comedy, which was directed by Winslet’s then husband, Sam Mendes. That was the last time they saw each other.
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Lynskey still thinks highly of Winslet.
Gareth Cattermole / Getty ImagesIt’s all water under the bridge for Lynskey. Despite their estrangement, she has the utmost respect for Winslet, who she considers “a huge inspiration.”
“Kate Winslet is doing movies, and you’re getting to witness that talent and those performances,” she beamed of her former best friend. “This is an actor who comes along once in a generation.”
Winslet’s impressive portfolio has made her a household name. She’s famously known for her roles in The Holiday, The Reader, The Dressmaker, and The Mountain Between Us. Her stint in HBO’s Mildred Pierce earned her an Emmy, as did Mare of Easttown.
Lynskey, for her part, has starred in Lady of the Manor, The Informant!, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Two and a Half Men. The jury’s still out if the two will ever collaborate on a project together again.
