"It sort of happened very accidentally. And, believe me…this 'executive producer' thing is something that I have really avoided like the plague. Cause I see a lot of people doing it, it's becoming a bit of a trend, and stuff, and, you know, I like to be a little bit different…And I've never felt the need to do it, either. I've always been really happy reading scripts and finding the ones that I love and going off and doing it.
"But with Therese, I read the novel when I was 17 and it just…my whole world exploded when I read this book. And I read it again immediately. Literally finished reading it, went straight back to page one and started reading it all over. I gave it to my sisters, I gave it to my mother, all my closest friends - 'you've got to read this book, you've got to read this book.' Put it away, stumbled across the screenplay, literally stumbled across the screenplay. Could not believe that someone had done this adaptation. I was so excited, immediately on the phone to all the casting people and director - 'I've got to meet with you.' Sat with a director, who is a great guy called David Leveaux, who is a theater director from England. This is his first feature. And, you know, we talked. And I said, 'well, you know, I really want to do this.' And that decision was made.
"And then I just thought, 'now, look - because I care so much about this story, and because I've always loved it, you know, now could be the time to really be creatively involved with it, and just try and make it the greatest film that we can.' So, it's nice to know that I was involved…we then immediately got all the funding, which was just so great. And that was the first time I ever used a little bit of that 'Titanic' power, you know. We just went 'funding' [snaps fingers] and it came. And it was like…it was fantastic. And I really feel sort of glad that I've been able to do that for everyone who's been involved with 'Therese', in the writing of the script and the other producers and so on. Because they were struggling, for a long time, to try and get the funding. But it's just nice to know that I'm, you know, I'm going to be involved with the casting of the other actors, where we're gonna shoot it, and so on. And, also, over the last sort of five or six years I've met some fantastic crew members, you know, brilliant, brilliant people who are artists in their own right. And I'm just excited that, you know, I can get all of those people in - all the ones that I think are great, who are really nice. Cause I really believe that when you work on a film, if the 'on set' environment is a happy one, then I think it makes for a better story, cause everyone's happy to be there, you know, they're happy to work. So, that's the reason why, and sort of no other reason than that."
From an interview with David Poland for Rough Cut, February 2000:
KW: "I'm doing a movie called Therese Raquin, which is another version of Emile Zola's novel."
DP: "Which you're also producing. Are you lining up more projects to produce, or do you want to?"
KW: "Talk to me in about eight month's time and I'll either be bored and thin and withered, or very glowing, very happy. The results will be in my face. We shall see. I don't know. We'll see how this goes. I was really nervous about it, because lots of people are executive producing and sometimes you feel that person did it for the wrong reason. I've avoided it for a long time because of the whole trend of it. But I'm doing it because I read this book when I was 17 years old and it rocked my world. Changed everything for me. I told all my girlfriends to read it, my mum, my sisters, whoever. When I stumbled across the screenplay, I thought, 'My God, I've got to be in this.' He is a first time director who is just a truly a magnificent man. Of course, David Leveaux is from England. I thought I would love to see this get there. I'd love to see us get the funding, be involved with the casting of the other actors, and I've met so many great crew members over the last few years. I was determined to get nice people working on it. Good people. We'd have a good time and a hardworking time, and it's just nice to see this thing growing. Fantastic."
From an interview with Mr. Showbiz:
Q: You've just finished Quills, and Therese Raquin is up next. Why make consecutive period films?
A: I chose to do Quills last year, which is the Marquis de Sade movie, because it's a fantastic script. It's an ensemble piece and they are heaps of fun. It wasn't a conscious decision to do a period movie. It was something that grabbed me.
Q: Why Therese Raquin?
A: I loved the novel. I'd read the novel when I was 17 years old and was so excited I read it twice and told all my friends to read it and gave copies to my sisters and mother. Last year, I stumbled across the screenplay and just could not believe it. I wanted to die!
Q: You're also executive producer on that.
A: I wanted to be creatively involved. I wanted to see it get funding and see who the other actors would be. And it's just because I deeply care about this story. As an actor you can only make so many suggestions before someone else has the final say. As an executive producer it's a more collaborative, more exciting way of doing things. And it's new.
Q: Did you do much research? A: Therese we start shooting in June and we start pre-production in April. In a couple of months' time I'll be looking into that, into the period more than anything else, and the women of that time.
From Interview Magazine, November 2000:
Producer Lynda Obst: Are you interested in producing as a way of controlling the material, or more in terms of your own life and schedule?
Kate: I've always said one day it would be great to produce something, never thinking that I would be able to do it by myself. But the reason I got involved with Therese Raquin was, it was a book that I read at seventeen, and I sort of developed this kind of very heady sort of sweaty obsession with it.
Obst: [laughs] Sounds great.
Kate: I just became really addicted to it in the way that you become addicted to, I don't know, cigarettes or chocolate. It just fed me in some way, and I read it over and over again. And a few years ago, having gained a little bit more knowledge, I thought, God, that book would make a brilliant film. And it just so happened somebody then said, 'Well, there's a script of it already.' And because I had such an attachment to this story, I wanted to be involved with seeing the film made in the best possible way.
Obst: And it's a wonderful thing to do with the leverage that you won from your hard work.
January 12: Kate talks about the project during an interview for Fox News:
Q: Is there anything we can expect to see you in soon?
Winslet: Well, I'm doing a movie which we were suppose to shoot last year, but then I had (new baby) Mia and that was completely impossible. So we're shooting the movie starting in August. I will be the executive producer in the movie and playing the title role. I am very excited about that and really looking forward to getting into it.
Q: Is this your first time executive producing?
Winslet: Yes, it's my first time. You have to go to all of these meetings about budgets and things like that. It's all complicated but really good fun, and I'm pleased to do it.