Kate Winslet has become an avid fossil hunter.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet

The Oscar-winning actress has developed a passion for fossil hunting after working with a palaeontologist to prepare for her role in 'Ammonite', the romantic drama film written and directed by Francis Lee.

Kate, 45 - who plays real-life palaeontologist Mary Anning in the film - said: "I worked with a wonderful paleontologist and he knows every nook and cranny.

"I did also find a piece of an ichthyosaur’s skull and was able to identify it. I was very proud of myself.

"It was really exciting. It was almost at the waterline as the tide had gone out – tucked away in a rock pool."

Kate stars in the movie alongside Saoirse Ronan, and the plot centres on their relationship.

Despite developing a passion for fossil hunting, Kate admitted she struggled with some of the outfits she was asked to wear, revealing she refused to wear a corset under her period costume.

She told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "I just know that with all the bending and twisting and heavy lifting on beaches, there’s just no way that Mary wore a corset.

"We went down this road of putting her in work trousers underneath her dress.

“We also put her in a chunky jumper that made me so boiling hot. In the end I had it without the sleeves."

Meanwhile, Kate previously admitted that comments about her weight damaged her self-confidence earlier in her career.

The acclaimed actress revealed she questioned whether she was ready to deal with scrutiny that comes with working in Hollywood.

She explained: "It damaged my confidence.

"I didn't want to go to Hollywood because I remember thinking, 'God, if this is what they're saying to me in England, then what will happen when I get there?"


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