When Kate Winslet discovered the extraordinary story of Lee Miller, she was captivated and knew she had to share it with the world.

Miller was an American photographer who served as a correspondent for British Vogue during World War II, capturing images ranging from London after the Blitz to the liberation of Dachau. In 1945, David E. Scherman took a now-iconic photograph of her in Hitler's bathtub in Munich.

Prior to the war, Miller had already lived a multifaceted life as a model and a so-called “muse” to surrealist artists like Man-Ray. Following the war, she continued documenting the aftermath in Eastern Europe, while grappling with alcoholism, PTSD, and the trauma of sexual assault endured in her youth.

Winslet wasn't content with merely portraying this remarkable woman; she was determined to see the story come to life. This pursuit led her on a journey spanning nearly a decade to bring “Lee” to the big screen. The film premieres nationwide this Friday.

The Academy Award-winning actress discussed the film, its impact, and the most challenging day she's ever faced as an actor in an interview with The Associated Press. These remarks have been edited for clarity and conciseness.

WINSLET: Many are understandably asking why Lee Miller? Why now? It's clear, not only because of the significance of her work, but also because of what she embodied about femininity. She was redefining what it meant to be a woman 80 years ago, encompassing everything we value now: resilience, compassion, determination, unity, empathy, and strength. She wasn’t some ambitious newcomer trying to make a name for herself. This was a middle-aged woman who had already experienced so much by the time she went to Europe. She knew the stakes. She knew she was putting herself in harm's way. She understood the risks, but she felt compelled to be that visual voice for the victims of conflict.

WINSLET: When I work, I'm fully immersed. The idea of detaching myself or unwinding with a relaxing bath and a glass of wine, I haven’t figured that out. And I don’t know if I want to. It’s not how I operate. I started this project in 2015, meeting with Antony Penrose, Lee Miller's son, and learning about his journey to know his mother after she passed away. It completely stunned me. Not only did he come to understand who she truly was and her wartime contributions, but he also gained a deeper insight into her parenting style. The moment I met Antony, something shifted within me. Something beyond the realm of acting.

WINSLET: She might have been the first female cinematographer I’d worked with at that time. But back then, women were a rarity on sets. It was almost unheard of to see women in the camera department. Ellen and I were thrown together, two women in a heavily male-dominated environment — happy to be there — but a minority. And while it was an exciting experience, it was a challenging shoot. We always had a lot to accomplish each day, and it happened to be a brutal New York winter. We remained friends and worked together again on “A Little Chaos” (Winslet suggested her to Alan Rickman). I just couldn’t shake the feeling, why isn’t she making feature films? It made perfect sense on so many levels. This was someone who had spent decades honing her visual skills, telling stories through powerful imagery. And that’s exactly what Lee Miller did. It wouldn’t have sat well with me if it had been a man. I almost feel like Lee would have been furious with me from beyond the grave.

WINSLET: The reason we made this film was to introduce Lee Miller to audiences as she truly was, on her own terms, particularly during her most defining decade. I wanted people to see her beyond the labels of being a former lover or muse to Man-Ray, those reductive and sexist descriptions.

She had this intense sense of injustice within her. And because she never spoke about what happened to her as a child, it fueled her and shaped her view of the world. The women who were survivors of sexual abuse that I spoke to during my preparation all said the same two things: they had never told anyone and that it gave them a keen eye for recognizing evil. Lee had that. She possessed an almost innate ability to endure suffering.

The scene where she reveals to (Vogue editor) Audrey (Withers) her childhood trauma was incredibly difficult to film. Andrea (Riseborough, playing Withers) and I both agreed that it was the most challenging day of filming either of us had ever experienced. It sounds dramatic, and I'm not one to dwell on the actor's process. After all, it's not brain surgery, we're not saving lives. But sometimes you get so deeply involved in a role that it feels almost like you're being possessed. And that can be unnerving.

What truly has taken my breath away is the way women, complete strangers, come up to me, grab my arm, and pull me close, saying, “That was me. I was told to never tell.” It's in those moments that filmmaking becomes truly extraordinary—when, even if only for a fleeting second, you can make an audience member feel understood or validated.