Kate Winslet has taken home the prestigious Leading Actress TV BAFTA for her role in I Am Ruth – and she’s used her moment in the spotlight to not only honour her daughter and co-star Mia Threapleton, but also call for an end to harmful online content.
During her acceptance speech, Kate said she wished she could cut her award in half so she could give the other half to Mia.
“We did this together kiddo,” she said through tears. “There were days when it was agony for her to dig as deeply as she did into very frightening emotional territory sometimes and it took my breath away.”
The mother-daughter duo also play mother and daughter on screen. The drama follows the story of Ruth, a loving mum whose 17-year-old daughter Freya develops an unhealthy obsession with social media.
More on Kate Winslet; TV BAFTAs speech below:
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“‘I Am Ruth’ was made for parents and their children, for families who feel they are held hostage by the perils of the online world,” Kate’s speech continued.
“For parents who wish they could still communicate with their teenagers but who no longer can, and for young people who have become addicted to social media and its darker sides. This does not need to be your life.”
She added, “to people in power and to people who can make change. Please criminalise harmful content. Please eradicate harmful content. We don’t want it. We want our children back. We don’t want to lie awake terrified for our children’s mental health. And to any young person who might be listening, who feels that they are trapped in an unhealthy world, please ask for help. There is no shame in admitting that you need support. It will be there, just ask for it.”
Speaking to press in the winner’s room, Kate says she was “completely shocked” by the award.
“I honestly did not think we were going to win so I’m genuinely shocked but so proud because we made something that really touched people and that people really thought about and talked about and are still talking about and still come up to me in the street and talk to me about. That is the most powerful thing about the job that we do, is that sometimes you can really reach people.”
Watch Kate Winslet; TV BAFTAs speech in full HERE.
(Feature Image Credit: Eamonn McCormack/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
