Kate Winslet believed that the small set they used helped them to develop their character's strained relationship. Hailing Winslet as "the best English-speaking film actress of her generation", David Edelstein of "New York" magazine wrote that "there isn't a banal moment in Winslet's performance—not a gesture, not a word". To avoid a scheduling conflict with "Revolutionary Road", Winslet turned down an offer to star in "The Reader". After her replacement Nicole Kidman left the project due to her pregnancy, Winslet was signed to it. Directed by Stephen Daldry, "The Reader" is based on Bernhard Schlink's novel "Der Vorleser" and is about Hanna
Empire Award for Best British Actress being Best British Actor and Best British Director). Winners were voted by the readers of "Empire" magazine. Since its inception, the award has been given to six actress. Kate Winslet had received the most awards in this category with five awards and was nominated on six occasions, more than any other actress. Kate Winslet was the last winner in this category for her role in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". In the list below, winners are listed first in bold, followed by the other nominees. The number of the ceremony (1st, 2nd, etc.) appears in parentheses after the awards