Kate Winslet is feeling empowered about appearing nude in the upcoming romantic drama "Ammonite."
The 44-year-old Oscar winner stars opposite Saoirse Ronan, 26, in the film, which is set in 1840s England and tells the story of the same-sex romance between real-life fossil hunter Mary Anning (Winslet) and timid married geologist Charlotte Murchison (Ronan).
Filming love scenes with a co-star nearly two decades younger made the mom of three feel proud to show off her body, Winslet told The Hollywood Reporter.
"I'm nearly 45, and Saoirse is almost half my age. And to have an opportunity to be my real 40-something self, post-children, you know? Women aren’t really having the courage to do that," said the star.
"I was just excited to say, ‘This is what it is, peeps. This is how I am now, and it’s very much not the body I had 20 years ago,'" she added.
Winslet explained that she wanted her body in the film, which is directed by Francis Lee, to have the same sort of "heftiness" as the real Anning's body.
"There is a grit to her, there’s a weight to her. I changed up my exercise a little bit. I made sure that I didn’t lose weight — which I do a lot, actually, on films," she explained, adding, "I hate to talk about weight, but I only say it in the context of, it was a conscious effort on my part to really make sure that I didn’t shrink or change myself for the sake of being naked. I did the opposite."
The "Titanic" star revealed that she and Ronan choreographed the movie's most passionate love scene themselves, which helped to make them feel comfortable. "I felt the proudest I’ve ever felt doing a love scene on 'Ammonite.' And I felt by far the least self-conscious," she said.
Winslet also likes that the movie highlights two women who were pioneers in their fields while shining a light on their untold love story.
"It's a story about women speaking up, speaking out. I think uncovering stories where women were repressed in such a systemic way is highlighting how history has covered up those successes," she said, adding, "We’re not going to do that anymore, world."
"Ammonite" is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on Nov. 13.