As one of Australia’s finest acting exports, Cate Blanchett has made her mark on modern cinema in ways both large and small, from parts in sweeping epics such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, to dark comedies like Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, for which she was awarded an Oscar.
Indeed, over the course of her half-century of film roles to date, Cate has proved beyond doubt there is very little she is unable to turn her hand to. Appearances as monarchs (Elizabeth: The Golden Age), comic book goddesses (Thor: Ragnarök), and even Bob Dylan (I’m Not There), can attest as much.
“I like the unknown factor when it comes to choosing a role or a project,” the 50-year-old explains. “I usually rely on my instinct in the sense that if I know right away how I can interpret a character, I’ll usually turn it down because I find it too predictable or I feel like I’ve been there before.”
Fans of the Victoria-born actress will once again see this willingness to test herself evident in Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, Richard Linklater’s adaptation of the best-selling 2012 novel by Maria Semple. Cate stars as the eponymous Bernadette, an architect once heralded for great things, but having lost her career momentum. Having devoted herself to raising her child, her world threatens to implode when her teenage daughter prepares to leave home to begin school – a theme that the star believes will resonate with those who have spent time raising children at the expense of personal ambition.
“There’s a universal aspect to her that men and women can both relate to,” she nods. “We all have a certain image of ourselves and we’re all clinging to a particular perception of ourselves that is different from the reality.
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