SPILLING HER SECRETS

Cate Blanchett on why she couldn’t wait to play spy opposite Michael Fassbender – and why her husband is her perfect match

In her new film, Cate Blanchett plays a spy accused of betraying her country, but in real life the Australian actress says she’s hopeless at keeping secrets.

I would be a terrible spy. If I hear something outrageous, I need to share it,” she laughs. “But the thing I discovered is that everyone thinks that to be a good spy, you need to be good at lying.

The truth is, to be a spy, you need to be able to get people to talk and be a really good listener.”

The Academy Award-winning actress stars opposite Michael Fassbender in Black Bag, the story of married intelligence agents Kathryn and George Woodhouse, whose loyalty to one another is put to the test.

The stellar cast also includes Pierce Brosnan, Back to Black star Marisa Abela, Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page and Strike’s Tom Burke.

Black Bag comes from the tradition of spies putting their secret documents in a locked black bag, so no one can know what is inside,” Cate says.

Kathryn and George have made their marriage work as spies by saying, when asked for details of each other’s operations: ‘Sorry, black bag!’

‘Why did you come home at 3am last night?’ ‘Mmm, black bag!’ I think every marriage needs a black bag,” says the star, who has four children – Dashiell, Ignatius, Roman and Edith – with her screenwriter and director husband Andrew Upton.