Happy Birthday Cate Blanchett
Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 9:30AM Murtada here to celebrate Cate Blanchett's birthday and the Cannes Film Festival simultaneously!
Cannes is all about tradition and protocol. Who walks the red carpet and how they do it, is a big part of its tradition. Only the film cast and crew walk together as their photos are taken. Turn left, turn right, hand in hand until they reach the steps. There they are allowed to walk up separately and that's when the magic happened last year at the Carol premiere with Cate Blanchett proving what a great movie star she is.
Multiple Cannes moments with Cate after the jump...
While Todd Haynes and Rooney Mara ran up the steps, Cate stopped at almost every step as she climbed up. She looked back, smiled, and posed. Just for a couple of seconds. She was giving the photographers what they wanted. And by extension, us. Her audience.
She knew exactly what she was doing. She had the dramatic dress, which we bet was picked specifically for how it looked from the back. Those steps were begging for drama. So she gave us drama. Cate understands the spectacle, the theater of it all. She gave us the picture that everyone shared and made a memorable moment of a few strays seconds of posing. It’s what a great actress does. Always.
Julia Roberts might have walked up those steps barefoot but no movie star has yet given us a complete theatrical moment like that, this year. So in honor of that moment, let’s celebrate both Cate’s 47th birthday and Cannes by revisiting some of her other Cannes moments:
Baby Best Actresses
Cate’s first time on the croisette was for 1999’s An Ideal Husband which closed that year’s festival. And until earlier this year, it was the one picture on record that had her with Julianne Moore. Believe me I did the research.
Reminding the world she has 2 Oscars
Responding to inane press questions with both humour and disdain
Here she is reacting to a question about whether it was harder for her to look beautiful in Carol because she’s older than Mara. Yep that was a question that was asked by a journalist.
Welcoming the next generation of actresses
Marion Cotillard is the better actress?
You are both amazing, Cate. There's no need to pick, we get to see you both on screen. Now please find a project to work on together. And while you are it, get Kate Winslet involved too. After all you three have the same agent. Surely she can work some magic.
And of course the fashion!
Diane Kruger looked fantastic every time she walked out at Cannes when she was on the jury. Fan Bingbing always turns it out at the Cannes and so far this year Kirsten Dunst has been giving us gorgeous after gorgeous fashion moment. But no other actress has consistently and continuously weakened our knees with her beauty as much as Cate. Here are just a few of her Cannes red carpet moments over the years.
Three month after Alexander McQueen's death, Cate paid tribute to him by wearing this eagle dress to the Robin Hood premiere at the 2010 opening gala. No one remembers the film, but the fashion moment lives on.
For Babel (2006) Cate mixed color, theme and tradition while paying homage to where her movie is partially set:
And as always her friend Giorgio Armani served her well, from 2008 to 2014.
Happy Birthday Cate! May you always be as happy as you were accepting applause last year at Cannes for Carol.
What is the Cate moment that brings a big smile to your face?
Reader Comments (15)
She is definitely our queen Cate! We miss her at Cannes this year!
I really hope she is on the Cannes jury in the next couple of years. Hoping she makes a surprise appearance this year, maybe to present an award at the closing ceremony, unlikely I know!
"Here she is reacting to a question about whether it was harder for her to look beautiful in Carol because she’s older than Mara. Yep that was a question that was asked by a journalist."
No, watch that moment again. Here's Cate's interaction with the ridiculous reporter:
Reporter: Last year you came with a children's movie...this time it's a lesbian romance. So, you think you're looking elegant and sophisticated and gorgeous. You think it's difficult to remain gorgeous and elegant after doing all the things in the night, in the film actually...you know what?
Cate: You mean when we're shooting at night?
Reporter: I mean the special scenes, I mean.
Cate (making a joke): You mean at the age that I am? It was easier for Rooney? Yes, it was easier for Rooney, but it didn't come between us.
Reporter: Is it difficult to remain elegant and sophisticated after this?
Cate (cringing (the gif)): No
Press and fellow panelists responded to Cate's answer with laughter and applause.
The reporter was implying that Cate shooting a lesbian romance damaged her image as an elegant and sophisticated woman. Cate tried to spin the question to be about age, but the reporter persisted and that's when she cringed and shut him down with a simple "no."
Fabulous. It's too bad that Cate and Meryl are not at Cannes. Amal upstaging Jodie Foster and her actors was a low moment. Usually, +1's are not allowed or photographed with casts on the red carpet. I hope you do a column on all the various fashions from this year. Julianne looked great.
It's amazing that since Blue Jasmine how she has ascended further than she had pre Woody,before I always thought of her as a great actress but now she is a great movie star too..
Manuel!
You forgot the stunning. I am STUNNING dress she wore at the Chopard party at Cannes 2014. Armani Prive magic at it's best
http://www.pink255.com/best-dressed-cannes-2014-day-3/
Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan. She was so full of energy as I forgot it was her playing the electric Dylan.
I love Julianne Moore's facial expression in that picture.
I'd love to know what she was thinking.
Happy birthday, Cate! I think it is better that she skipped Cannes after all the crazy fabulous thing last year with Carol.
And I am so weirdly enraged when Titus and Billy Eichner in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt said "Is Cate Blanchett good or is she just tall?"
On a side note, Amal upstaging Money Monster is the clear highlight from this year's red carpet.
Cate is the undisputed queen - great actress cum movie star. OMG! Cate and Marion in one movie together...this will make many an actressexual's dream come true. Yes throw in Winslet and maybe Streep in the mix for good drama as well.
My favourite Cate at Cannes moment happened last year when she joked in an interview that she'd had a 'chest wax' for the loves scenes in Carol. Bless her.
Really like that while this is clearly adoring of Cate, it's also about other actresses. Which is apt since Cate always talks adoringly about actresses she's worked with.
One thing many of you don't know about Cate is that she is one of those leftwingers that rightwing conservatives HATE with a passion.
She would have a difficult time doing a love scene with James Woods, Adam Baldwin or Kelsey Grammar.
Sorry Nathanial - I know you didn't want to talk politics - but we here in Australia are on a high because our entrant at Eurovision came SECOND!
Hapi Belated Bday, My Queen!! Who was robbed of best actress at Cannes last year (It shld've been a tie between her and Mara!!!)
Here wishing you bagging a Cannes and 3rd Oscar soon!!!
Totally agree with you. Cate is soooooo great. I just couldn't understand why Cannes didn't appreciate her performance in Carol. Wasn't what she had done in Carol as good as Rooney ?
Or somehow better ?