Cate Crusader

Oscar winner and Giorgio Armani global beauty ambassador Cate BlanChett is back in black at the Seidler Penthouse on Sydney harbour. She talks to Eugenie Kelly about family, fragrance and why her righteous fury won’t be contained

- Eugenie Kelly

It’s a dull, sodden Tuesday morning and rain is lashing the floor-to-ceiling windows of Milsons Point’s iconic Seidler penthouse. What should be a postcard panorama of Sydney harbour is just a blanket of grey. In the upstairs bedroom, Cate Blanchett has just pulled a furry blanket off the bed and is now using it as a rug, writhing around on the floor for photographer Steven Chee. She strikes pose after pose, then lies on her side and kicks the leg of her fuzzily trimmed black silk pants into the air for extra dramatic flair. The background soundtrack to this performance is “The Night” by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons — a current favourite — but the track’s not working its usual magic. “Maybe we need a little Ethiopian jazz to get things going,” Blanchett cries out to the crew, who practically stampede one another for the chance to stalk the actor’s Spotify playlist. Dolly Parton’s warbling 1969 version of “I Will Always Love You” starts up instead. “Close enough,” Blanchett declares, and gets back to work.

Taking a break for a refresh, Blanchett slips back into the pajama-ish pants and top (navy; white piping) she arrived in, collapses into her chair at the hair and makeup station and orders a peppermint tea and a strong latte “to back it up”. Blanchett flew in from LA yesterday, where she’d been doing voice edits for an upcoming project, and although she’s here for a fleeting 24 hours to fulfil commitments as Giorgio Armani’s global beauty ambassador (which includes being the face of fragrance Sì), she swears she’s not tired. “Are you kidding? If anything, this is rejuvenating! Not having four kids hassle you in the morning? I got to shower in peace!”