Peter Jackson recounts surprising Kate Winslet movie milestone at Cannes
The 'Lord of the Rings' director shares a lighthearted memory from 'Heavenly Creatures'
Peter Jackson has reflected on a surprising piece of film history involving Kate Winslet and his own brief on-screen appearance that, as it turns out, marked a milestone in her early career.
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, where he received an honorary Palme d’Or, the Oscar-winning filmmaker revisited his 1994 film Heavenly Creatures while clips from his career played during the ceremony.
Jackson pointed out a short cameo he made in the film alongside a then-17-year-old Winslet, revealing an unexpected detail.
“So looking at those clips, I realized Heavenly Creatures was Kate Winslet's first film and my cameo was playing that tramp in the street,” he said. “So, I realized that I actually gave Kate Winslet her first on-screen kiss.”
The moment comes from a brief street scene in the psychological drama, where Winslet’s character kisses Jackson’s unnamed character in a spontaneous exchange outside a movie theater.
Jackson directed Heavenly Creatures, which was based on New Zealand’s infamous Parker–Hulme murder case and starred Melanie Lynskey alongside Winslet in one of her earliest breakout roles.
The film went on to establish Winslet as a rising talent and positioned Jackson as a filmmaker capable of balancing dark themes with emotional depth.
Reflecting on the project, Jackson added that part of the joy of filmmaking is seeing careers begin to take shape.
“It’s a lot of fun when you make movies, and it's even more fun when you get to start the career of somebody else in the film industry,” he said, according to Metro. “I’m very proud [of that].”
Jackson would later go on to direct major global hits, including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, and The Hobbit films.
Winslet, meanwhile, rose to international fame with performances in Titanic, The Reader, and The Holiday.
Looking back on the small but memorable scene, Jackson joked that he may have set a surprisingly high standard early on. “I set the bar pretty high,” he said.