Cate Blanchett said she sees herself retiring soon; she has a handful of projects to complete. Reflecting on a fulfilling career in film, theater, and TV, she said there are other things she now wants to do with life outside of acting.
Cate Blanchett has appeared in more than 70 films and 20 theater productions; her impressive, critically acclaimed career is highlighted by films like Elizabeth, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Lord of the Rings. She’s also prolific on stage and TV. Garnering a total of 166 wins across multiple award-giving bodies, she holds multiple Oscar Awards records; she is the only female actor to earn an Oscar nomination for playing the same role in multiple films (Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age). Speaking to the Radio Times, Blanchett mused over her legacy and why she’s now looking at retiring.
«My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting,» she quipped. «There are a lot things I want to do with my life.» Blanchett did not elaborate on these pursuits, but outside of the craft, she’s very much involved in environmental and humanitarian activism. This include the Climate of Change podcast she co-launched in 2022; she’s also a global Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, since 2016. Her causes echo her approach to acting, less introspective and more outward-looking.
'I Find Other People Much More Interesting'
«No one is more boring to me than myself and I find other people much more interesting,» she said. «I find myself profoundly dull… When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see soundbites of things you’ve said, pulled out and italicized, they sound really… loud. I’m not that person… I’ve always felt like I’m on the periphery of things, so I’m always surprised when I belong anywhere. I go with curiosity into whatever environment that I’m in, not expecting to be accepted or welcomed. I’ve spent a lifetime getting comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable.«
Black Bag, Blanchett is set to also set to appear in Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, a drama anthology movie. «Like a lot of people, I like being alive,» she mused. «I throw myself into life, often in unwanted places. Maybe that’s why my career, if you call it a career, has been so strangely eclectic.«
«I think I’m quite pleasant in the rehearsal room. I’m much more unbearable in life,» she asserted.
