Kate Winslet to debute as director for son’s heartbreaking script

Kate Winslet is stepping into a new chapter of her career and it’s all thanks to her son.

The Oscar-winning actress revealed that Goodbye June the upcoming Christmas film arriving next week began as a screenwriting assignment written by her 21-year-old son, Joe Anders. 

The deeply personal script, inspired by the death of Joe’s grandmother in 2017 moved Winslet so profoundly that she refused to let it remain just a classroom project.

Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, airing Friday night, Winslet said she instantly felt something special when she first read the pages.

“My wonderful son wrote it,” she shared proudly. “He did a screen-writing course and was encouraged to write from the heart. The most significant thing that had happened to him was losing his grandmother at 13.”

But the moment Winslet finished reading, she knew it belonged on screen. “I said, ‘You have written a film and we are going to make it.’”

From that decision came a wave of firsts: Winslet not only stars in Goodbye June, but also serves as producer and, at 50, takes on the role of director for the first time.

“I knew I couldn’t let it go,” she reflected. “It was an extraordinary experience.”

The heartfelt family drama brings together an impressive cast, including Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, and Dame Helen Mirren but at the centre of it all is a mother proudly championing her son’s talent.

Goodbye June is set to be releases all across the UK on Dec 12, 2025.