Five Things I Learned Podcasting About Cate Blanchett
Friday, November 15, 2019 at 8:14PM
As you may know I recently started a podcast series about the films of Cate Blanchett, my favorite actor. Seven episodes in I thought I'd share with you some observations that I discovered talking with my guests - who include critics you know and like from this site - about her career...
1. The early 2000s were a rough time to be a Blanchett fan.
Charlotte Gray? The Shipping News? The Gift? She was making anti-Elizabeth movies, trying to get as far away as possible from her iconic breakout performance. She was working in different genres and with different directors, learning to be a great film actress. The results might not have worked at the time, but the experiences paid off later in her career.
2. No wonder she won the Oscar for The Aviator
Playing the Academy’s favorite actress, doing her voice and mannerisms and giving basically a Katharine Hepburn 1940s performance. They couldn’t resist. The part is a series of big scenes / set pieces for Cate/Kate. Every single one a showcase for Blanchett. Despite what anyone might have thought in early 2005, the other nominees didn’t stand a chance.
3. Tom Ripley is Matt Damon’s best performance
The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) remains his best film and performance. He never took another part as good as Ripley. Playing this psychopath was a stretch for Everyman Damon that he never tried again. 20 years on he hasn't bested it.
4. An Oscar nominated performance can be underrated
People seem to have forgotten about I’m Not There (2008). Is Jude Quinn ever mentioned as unique creation of Cate’s in the same breath as Jasmine French or Carol Aird? Never. Yet it’s not a gimmick, it’s not a trick. It’s a fantastic, lived in, stylized performance that should rank among her best.
5. Little Fish deserves to be seen
It was released in the US for only one week. It made less than $2K at the domestic box office. Yet Rowan Woods’ filmmaking is superb (why hasn’t he made another movie?). The performances from the all-Australian cast are uniformly exquisite, and it has Cate’s best romantic chemistry with a male co-star in Dustin Nguyen. Sorry Benjamin Button fans.
You can listen to the podcast at Sundays With Cate, or subscribe at Apple Podcasts.
Do you agree with these observations? If you've listened, tell us what you think.
Reader Comments (23)
Thank you...she's among the best in ANY generation.
So agree on I'm Not There -- when I finally got around to seeing the movie years after the fact (I really don't care for Bob Dylan) I felt ashamed I'd assumed that Cate's performance would be a gimmick; it's not at all. She's fabulously good in it.
Not me, I love I'm Not There. It's to me one of the finest films of the 2000s and why it was so original as it destroyed the many conventions of a bio-pic.
Hey! I love “The Gift”! Blanchett is great in it. That era also had Blanchett in “Veronica Guerin”. That’s a scary movie, and she’s great again.
When are you recording the episode for Carol? Please have Nathaniel be your guest for that episode!
i loved THE GIFT - and liked Charlotte Gray and Veronica Guerin. It was cool to see her stretch in other roles and not keep doing costume dramas, honestly. Oh i have to watch THE GIFT again now!! :)
The early 2000s gave us Heaven, though, and for that I'll always be grateful.
What happened with Bernadette?!
I'm disappointed you didn't get an Australian for the LITTLE FISH episode. So much context to talk about! It was a moderate hit here, she won awards, Sarah Blasko is brilliant, Rowan Woods! NONI HAZLEHURST IS AN ICON!! Oh well. Still enjoying the series though.
Hearing Murtada's voice extolling the expertise of a perennial such as Blanchett has my (or my more known around this place alterego's) bussy ready and waiting.
You're not the original Joan Castleman. Please stop using my nick. Glenn Close has over 80 credits on IMDB, use your imagination.
I have to say I love the high camp of her role in The Shipping News.
3rtful - Use Patty Hewes and leave Joan alone, you bully
Agreed about Ripley/Damon! Rewatched just a few weeks ago, and I kept wondering, where did this Matt Damon go?
I’ve always loved Cate’s performance in ‘The Good German’ - I know it’s not necessarily a great film, she just bought her movie star A game in that performance. I remember being excited every time she came on the screen.
If you’re so well versed in her filmography why don’t you choose another handle. Pick one of the nominated characters she deserved the win for. Colman won for individual achievement, but Close deserved for overdue.
It would take a dolt not to have known /3rtful, Joan Castleman and Faye are all the one person. Let /3rtful have his fun with his other two handles. The multiple /3rtfuls were enough, Jesus. Maybe Enzos and “Joan the Second’ (an acceptable option that isn’t taken) can show some class. Talk about films, hold opinions under your own individual names and stand by them if they have any worth!
The woman who gave life to the namesake has spoken. Would one dare disrespect her? May as well call you bunny if you do.
Murtada, how come I did not about this podcast series earlier?! Can't wait to listen what you have to say about The Golden Age:)
Blanchett is my favorite too and I agree with all 5 of your points, especially the first one. She really tried almost every genre in that period, none of the movies really worked, yet you can still see this amazing performer each and every time. Also, I would put Carol as the underrated performance.
I love you Murtada.
Rebecca - ditto.
adri, TLove - happy to see the love for Cate's performance in The Gift. In the ep we talk about how good she is even if the movie fails her.
Arkaan - We are doing Heaven soon so be on the lookout for that.
And for fans of Little Fish, we followed that ep with one on another of her few Australian films, Oscar and Lucinda.
thank you for all the comments and for those who listened to the pod.
Timing is huge for Cate. Yes the early 2000s were a rough time for her—great time for Kidman, Moore, Zellweger, briefly Theron.
2004-2010+ were super uneven for those prestige actresses. Extremely fruitful for establishing Cate as *the* prestige actress.
She’s often on her game when everyone else is off theirs.
I actually love all of her early 2000 performances! Her screentime in THE SHIPPING NEWS is short, but holy moly she packs a wallop into that time. I've never seen her play a character seething with so much hatred, but she runs with it and ends up being the best thing about the film.
LITTLE FISH is aaammaaazzzzing and Blanchett is excellent in it!