Cate Blanchett

Cate Blanchett Breaks Down 19 Looks From LOTR to Black Bag for Vogue's Life in Looks series

On Charlie Rose (1999)

She IS Cate Blanchett!

R3 "She is, of course, Cate Blanchett."

[quote]arguably the most celebrated actor her home country has ever produced.

Hmph!

double-hmph!

OP- ACTRESS not actor

Love her. Unpopular opinion here, maybe. From The Talented Mr Ripley, where she has a minor part but still steals the show, to Tar, where she was robbed of her third oscar. And the wonderful camp of Notes on a Scandal

I think she is the greatest working actress today

Team Judy Davis

Davis and Blanchett are very similar actresses, to me.

Tilda Swinton

I was hoping Cate would be the new Meryl Streep, i.e., an actress who is successful in her 50s and 60s, but her recent projects have been duds. This includes some high profile flops (Black Bag, Nightmare Alley and Borderlands). She says that she may retire. Unfortunately, audiences are not that into her but she may be getting less and less good material.

Wonder if she ever visits her Texas relatives.

Nightmare Alley was a financial failure but she was perfectly cast in it. She's excellent as a cold, scheming shrink. I also liked her in Hanna. I wish she'd take more villain roles.

On Desert Island Discs

Favorite track: The Pilgrims' Chorus from Wagner's Tannhauser

I always got the vibe that in her downtime she's a cool bitch who's fun at a bar.

Davis and Blanchett are very similar actresses, to me.

Judy was never the type to wear high fashion or go to any opening possible.

[quote] Team Judy Davis

Judy Davis team

R9 = F. Murray Abraham

She is understated and elegant without being pretentious

I love my C(K)ates. Winslet and Blanchett. Brilliant. Watching her transform into Bob Dylan in I'm Not There was amazing. She never puts a foot wrong.

Has the not really a “Hollywood historian” commented yet?

R11 I saw them both play Hedda Gabler in Sydney, almost 40 years apart.

Who had the better aim?

Cate did it in plain sight with her back to the audience instead of the convention of doing it behind a drawn curtain.

I saw her standing, there.

But Judy played the turning-point scene with her back to the audience and we all knew what she was thinking every second.

Judy won. Not even a contest.

[quote]arguably the most celebrated actor her home country has ever produced

FU, OP.

Team Judy Davis .....

without being pretentious

OMG.

Loved her in Blue Jasmine and Notes On A Scandal. She plays high-strung, mentally unbalanced women very well.

[quote]Outside of her work, she prefers to keep things understated and lowkey. She is, of course, Cate Blanchett.

The perfume adverts, the constant attendance at celebrity events, the political posturing. All very low key!

Her dancing style is also admired throughout the world.

I listened to her Desert Island Discs and the choices were all so pretentious. Nothing wrong with picking classical music or some obscure tracks but they were the choices of a person desperate to say LOOK AT ME, I'M SO ORIGINAL

I agree that she stole the show in The Talented Mr. Ripley. I wonder if she got Matt Damon's dick when he was at the peak of his looks.

So Bland

I liked Black Bag, but she’s gone in for too much filler and her face is looking oddly shaped. In particular, the area around her mouth reminded me of Cher.

Cate needs to lay off the pretentious art projects, including the ridiculous Tar. But she’s not warm, funny or accessible so I think she’s gone as far as she can.

Blanchett is good at playing unlikeable people--her Ripley and Tar characters are unlikable in different ways, but lacks the warmth or humor to do well in more sympathetic roles. Judy Davis isn't easy to cast but is much more expressive and can play more kinds of roles. Blanchett seems more obviously actress-y.

Judy aged wrinkly and it must be genetic as she was obsessed about keeping her face out of the sun. I guess that's good for character roles but not for leading.

I'm the most celebrated actor to come from Australia, Tasmania to be precise.

[quote]arguably

The word that marks a thread opener as the squat fruit of the OP.

I actually do find her pretentious, not so much as personality, but certainly as an actor. Mostly because of her mannerisms. A dollar for every time she throws her head back tosses her brain and laughs please. I’ve never not seen her not acting. Ive always just seen Cate give it her all. Shes always posing. Even Meryl, contrary to Hepburn’s belief, is capable of just being in many roles.

As far as Australians of that generation go, I prefer Toni Collette and even Rachel Griffith. Hell, she a big hammy ol’ star but I prefer Nicole Kidman. Kidman even had an edginess young woman, and eroticism she’s not to high and mighty to use in her performances. She’s even occasionally sweet.

It looks as though Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman will both be headed to the prestigious Screen Actors Guild Awards in a few weeks as nominees, just don't expect to see them sharing a limo to the red carpet.

As one Hollywood-based Australian producer who has worked with both women told PS on an off-the-record basis: "Cate is an actor's actor, while Nicole is very much the people's actor ... while they probably don't see each other as rivals, they do exist in a similar sphere and that invariably means over the years they would both be considered for the same roles ... there is no way you can not expect that to have an impact ... it's just human nature."

From a media perspective Kidman and Blanchett operate very differently. Kidman will happily pose for a selfie with a fan and will respond with a smile to the most banal questions from a reporter. The paparazzi follow her ad infinitum and she employs a team of publicists to respond to the deluge of press inquires. Her alleged personal life is played out across the pages of women's magazines every week with seemingly little regard to fact.

Blanchett however is a reluctant participant in the fame game. She is rarely photographed without her knowledge while requests for information to her agent are almost never get a response. PS also well remembers over-hearing the celebrated fashion icon – who has mega-buck deals with the likes of Giorgio Armani – shooting down a young reporter on a red carpet who dared to ask "what are you wearing?". Blanchett shot back with a steely gaze: "a dress" before slinking off into a sea of flashbulbs.

Rachel Griffiths is so fabulous, but she doesn't work in the US anymore. She went back to Australia many years ago and concentrates her work there.

I agree with R44. I love watching Blanchett and really enjoyed TAR but she is the best example of the "click click click" mannerisms that were said of Meryl.

She is far more mannered and dare I say hammy than Meryl. The scene at the beginning of TAR where she explains what being a conductor was like a demonstration to an acting class.

Blanchett is all about the hair, the costume, the movement, the accent, whereas an actress like Toni Collette is always Toni Collette but gives a more honest performance.

I fell deeply in love with Rachel Griffith in Six Feet Under.

I'd love to see more of her.

R42 I don't know her.

[quote] PS also well remembers over-hearing the celebrated fashion icon – who has mega-buck deals with the likes of Giorgio Armani – shooting down a young reporter on a red carpet who dared to ask "what are you wearing?". Blanchett shot back with a steely gaze: "a dress" before slinking off into a sea of flashbulbs.

She wears a brand new custom-made designer gown every time she steps on a red carpet but heaven forbid this “actor’s actor” mentions who provides the dress.

R35, Absolutely right, I think that's exactly what she does. She said her favorite bands are Neubauten and Sigur Ros. She's too embarrassed to say that she listens to Crowded House or the LIttle River Band.

Yet for all the pretension and designer labels... this is the bloke she married. Still together since 1997.

Wow he's not what one would call a looker, is he?

So, r52? Because he is ugly in photographs (he’s really not in real life, just aggressively normal) she is less precious?

As it stands, for a period of time if you wanted to watch a play in Sydney at least one per year was “adapted” by Upton, or worse, one of his original works. His dialogue is meandering and clunky and not to my taste at all. It forces the actors to perform it in a really arch, artificial way, like they’re performing in a series of one man shows to the audience rather than talking to each other.

R53 he never was. They have ben soulmates for years. And the two of them did a lot to revive live theater in Australia. Cate is regarded as a national treasure by the arts community there.

She is beautiful

LOVE her.

I saw her in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's production of Streetcar Named Desire. She was very late. Before the play started she came out an explained that there were several accidents on I95 due to the icy/stormy conditions which delayed her coming from Connecticut. She was very apologetic and very gracious. She was phenomenal in Streetcar, of course. As someone said above, she is the greatest actress working today.

The greatest actress Australia has ever produced is Dame Judith Anderson.

The greatest actress Australia ever produced was Peter Allen.

R59 is that a person who lived?

Dame Judith Anderson played the scariest dyke in movie history in Rebecca.

Love Cate in The Gift, Elizabeth, LoTR, the Aviator and Blue Jasmine.

All great works. Not a huge fan of Tar. I agree with whoever said she is an actor's actor. No warmth but still brilliant

She was amazing in Oscar and Lucinda - her breakthrough and first leading role in 1997. Interesting contrast to Elizabeth in the same year. It’s well worth watching, apart from her performance, for Ralph Fiennes at the height of his beauty.

I adored her Blue Jasmine! Elizabeth was excellent too.

[quote][R59] is that a person who lived?

No, Rose. Dame Judith Anderson was born dead.

How she managed to win two Emmys and a Tony and be nominated for an Oscar in that state is beyond me.

R61 thought she was being clever before being easily and ruthlessly smacked down.

For a contrast look at Judy Davis being interviewed.

Judy Davis is famously terrifying. I was once behind her in the queue for an ATM which swallowed her card. Barking mad.

Thanks for the interview clip R68, Judy is impressive. She's forthright unlike the recent Cate interviews which are banal. Cate's superficial interviews include her repetitive b.s. on leaf blowers, cold baths, equity in Hollywood & all things profound in her life.

Mike Nichols wanted Cate Blanchett for the role in Closer that eventually went to Julia Roberts.

How is Cate the best working actress when her recent work (Borderlands and Black Bag) were flops?

I would guess that the media has changed for actors from the 1980s when Judy emerged and the 1990s when Cate did. Actors were expected to be more open later. Judy could get away with being more private.

[quote] How is Cate the best working actress when her recent work (Borderlands and Black Bag) were flops?

You need to explain your logic there. How is box office a direct indicator of an actor's talent?

Her best work is behind her.

What about me?

Talented and pretentious.

Tàr and her self-importance on the junket left me cold. I Jo longer look forward to her projects.

Family Guy roasted Tàr and it was hilarious.

R17 "Say Si!!!"

[quote]She was amazing in Oscar and Lucinda - her breakthrough and first leading role in 1997. Interesting contrast to Elizabeth in the same year. It’s well worth watching, apart from her performance, for Ralph Fiennes at the height of his beauty.

Sorry to be pedantic but technically her breakthrough was Paradise Road. Talk about Oscar bait, there were costumes, accents, malnutrition make up and evil Asians. But sadly it was too gloomy to be a successful chick flick and too glam to be a successful war movie.

It was released after Frances had won her Oscar for Fargo, when Julianne was still in ER and Glenn was Glenn. It was Jennifer Ehle's first role after the success of Pride & Prejudice and yet Cate was named in all the reviews as the star and one to watch.

Ralph Fiennes has been a troll for so long now, it's easy to forget how hot he once was.

I loved Nightmare Alley! The original and the remake.

Father, Mother, Sister, Brother is an upcoming American comedy drama anthology film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Tom Waits, Charlotte Rampling, Indya Moore and Luka Sabbat.

Tar was peak Cate Blanchett. She was robbed of that Oscar

R80 AFAIK Paradise Road was her first movie - I don’t necessarily see that as her breakthrough. YMMV.

Loved her portrayal of Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator.

Also loved her in Mr. Ripley and Carol.

R81 he was the most realistic Heathcliff

Another Judy interview.

[quote] Judy could get away with being more private.

Judy was never going to play the game, no matter when she was born. Right from My Brilliant Career (her first job out of NIDA) she was desperately uncomfortable with publicity. She was never going to let the public in.

I can't see Cate doing her own hair which Judy appears to have done here.

Looking at Blanchett's first decade in film it's surprising how much Oscar bait there is there.

She was barely in the dreadful Shipping News, Charlotte Grey, Veronica Guerin and The Missing, all of which a very Meryl type choices and would have expected nominations.

And then she did start racking in the nominations - The Aviator, Notes On A Scandal, The Golden Age and I'm Not There - 4 nominations in 4 years. And she might have been nominated for Babel had it not been released the same year as Scandal.