One of Britain’s finest actresses has swept the 2008 film award season, yet her country doesn’t seem to care so much about the wins, but instead about her acceptance speeches. After years and years of, well, losing, Kate Winslet garnered not one but two wins at the Golden Globes in Los Angeles on January 11. And ever since, there has been a deluge of criticism pouring out of the British media.

Now, considering I’m sure many viewers’ were surprised that she even won one award. Some actors tend to go on for years without winning. Just look at Susan Lucci, who has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy award 21 times, but has only been called up to the stage once. Or even Meryl Streep, who has taken home two Oscars, has been nominated fifteen times at the Academy Awards. How could anyone prepare for winning two awards on the same night? I saw a truly surprised actress displaying heartfelt emotions. Playing it too cool might have come off as suspicious, as there was already tension after a rumored leak that Anne Hathaway would be walking home with the Globe that night.

But apparently a lot of people didn’t see it that way. The London Times wrote on January 16,

Global opinion was that her acceptance speech for Best Actress was a wailing, flailing exercise in unintentional showbiz campery (to Leonardo DiCaprio: “I love you, Leo! With all my heart! To my kids, thank you for coming on this amazing journey with me!” – Kate, those Virgin first-class air hostesses dole out a lot of colouring-in, I’m sure the kids were fine with it). Most people watching actually wanted, literally, to die.

A bit over-dramatic, to say the least. There are certainly bigger problems in the world than her speeches. But the Times didn’t stop there, even going so far as to write speeches for her. (To the author’s credit, both sample speeches were pretty amusing.)

The Guardian wrote her speech for her Golden Globe win in Revolutionary Road “raises the occasional wave of nausea, swiftly followed by a rush of hands to eyes in order to block out the spectacle,” continuing on in another piece that she had “betrayed” her people and that her speech was “so weird that I felt it might have been intended as a joke.” The Telegraph went so far as to compare their problems with her speeches to those of the economic crisis, pleading with her to “banish the emotional stereotype of her profession.”

When it came time for the BAFTAs in London on February 8, Winslet had a relatively conservative speech, perhaps because she was at home and didn’t want any more ridicule…or because it was obvious that this award season was hers already. Probably a combination of both. But everyone sure seemed to love Mickey Rourke swearing constantly through his speech, which could also be another reason he didn’t walk home with an Academy Award on . The Academy traditionally loves memorable, tear-filled moments (see: Sally Field, Halle Berry and Marion Cotillard…or even Ben Affleck and Matt Damon!), but not those without any class. So Kate fit right in on Sunday night in Los Angeles.

After Winslet won the Academy Award for Best Actress in The Reader, the Times still commented that she “managed to rein in the emotions that got the better of her in her Golden Globes acceptance speech earlier this year.” I agree, if she had acted completely shocked as she was at the Golden Globes accepting for Best Actress, it would have come across a bit odd considering she definitely was the favorite. But it’s more odd that signs of emotion when finally reaching the pinnacle of one’s career is seen as a sign of weakness or embarrassment.

So what does Winslet herself think? “I don’t care,” she told the press after her Oscar win, as reported in the New York Times‘ Carpetbagger blog. “I think it’s sad that my country can’t be pleased by the success of one of their own, like America has.”

American media hasn’t really shown much interest in her speeches one way or the other. She’s not the first actor to get emotional on stage, and she won’t be the last. Maybe the biggest interest shown on this side of the pond was a reaction piece in the New York Times just before the Oscars on February 21.

Maybe the one of the best things about award season being over is that the press can just move on from this topic. Hopefully.

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