Kate Winslet says war reporter Lee Miller was ‘a life force to be reckoned with’

By Ellie Iorizzo, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Kate Winslet, who stars as war correspondent Lee Miller in her latest film, has described her as an “inspiration of what you can achieve”.

Miller went from working as a model appearing in American Vogue to capturing the liberation of Europe at the end of the Second World War as a photojournalist.

The directorial debut from acclaimed cinematographer Ellen Kuras explores the most significant decade of Miller’s life, documenting the pioneering American as she gave a voice to the voiceless.

Academy Award-winning actress Winslet, who also serves as a producer on the film, said: “To me, she was a life force to be reckoned with, so much more than an object of attention from famous men with whom she is associated.

“This photographer, writer, reporter did everything she did with love, lust, and courage, and is an inspiration of what you can achieve, and what you can bear, if you dare to take life firmly by the hands and live it at full throttle.”

The first-look image of 47-year-old Winslet as Miller was shot during filming on location in Croatia, while the movie is also being filmed in Hungary and London.

Other cast members include Andy Samberg as Life Magazine photographer David E Scherman, Alexander Skarsgard playing English Surrealist painter Roland Penrose, and Marion Cotillard as fashion director of French Vogue Solange D’Ayen.

Josh O’Connor and Andrea Riseborough also feature in the line-up, alongside Noemie Merlant, Arinze Kene, Vincent Colombe, Patrick Mille, Samuel Barnett and Zita Hanrot.

The film is based on The Lives Of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose, who serves as a consultant to the production.