Kate and Leo together again

Pair take a 'Revolutionary Road' away from 'Titanic'

PROFILE. Eleven years after Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio’s epic "I'm king of the world!" love scene in “Titantic,” the highest-grossing film of all time, the A-listers reunite in “Revolutionary Road,” a dour indie film that certainly doesn’t boast any grand Celine Dion ballad.

Rather, an eerie, “American Beauty”-style score lingers like the persistent sting of antiseptic on a wound until the final credits. Directed by Sam Mendes, Winslet’s husband, and adapted from Richard Yates’ 1961 novel, the film tells the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a young Connecticut couple who feel they’re above the suburban existence slowly engulfing them in the 1950s, when, as Winslet says,  “prescription medication, and sneaky beverages before mid-day all began.” In order to resist turning into clones of their perfectly manicured lawn-loving neighbors, Frank and April romanticize a life of reading Sartre and “finding themselves” in Paris. But when that plan falls apart, so does their relationship.
 
That’s putting it lightly. Watching the couple go at it regurgitates the ugly, no-insult-left-unsaid, no-insecurity-left-unexploited fights we have with those who know us the best. The actors, who describe themselves as “close friends for years,” say the trust they share helped bring out the savage behavior needed in those brutal scenes.
 
“There were just no boundaries,” says Winslet.

She was so impressed by DiCaprio’s performance, she had to stop herself from crying.

"Because I was seeing someone I have so much respect for doing things as an actor that I have never seen him do before,” Winslet says. Reflecting on their real-life relationship, she can’t help but continue the flattery.

“I think he’s nicer than he was, even if that’s possible. He’s funnier than he was, even if that’s possible. And he’s a better actor than he was, even if that's possible.”
 
Critics seem to agree — Both DiCaprio and Winslet have already picked up Golden Globe nominations for their roles in the film, and both are said to be front-runners for Oscar nods.

DiCaprio says the heavy material, “a complete departure from ‘Titanic,’’’ was what the two actors had been looking for in their next venture together.

And though he still admires Winslet's "pursuit of excellence," he did notice one major change this time around. The two are definitely more grown up.
 
“[Kate and I] don’t approach the filmmaking experience like we did in our early 20s. We don’t look at the directors or producers involved as parental figures,” the 34-year-old says. “In our teenage years, we were constantly looking for that guidance. I think we come into movies now as equal pieces to the puzzle, and, for lack of a better term, we're more like adults.”