Australian actress Cate Blanchett (“Rumours”) is easily considered one of the most high-profile actresses hailing from the land down under, but she is now suggesting that time as an actress could be coming to an end.
Blanchett is coming off Steven Soderbergh‘s spy thriller “Black Bag” co-starring Michael Fassbender and is telling The Radio Times that she is “seriously” considering giving up the craft of acting despite her family not exactly buying into that idea.
“My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting. [There are] a lot of things I want to do with my life,” Blanchett said while promoting her first radio drama in BBC Radio 4’s “The Fever.”
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The acclaimed actress would go on to talk about not being entirely comfortable with celebrity/fame and being photographed: “When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see soundbites of things you’ve said, pulled out and italicised, they sound really loud. I’m not that person. I make more sense in motion – it’s been a long time to remotely get comfortable with the idea of being photographed. 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.”
Blanchett previously won Oscar statues for Best Actress in “Blue Jasmine” and Best Supporting Actress in Martin Scorsese‘s “The Aviator,” with another six nominations for her work on “Tár,” “Carol,” “I’m Not There,” ‘Notes On A Scandal,” “Elizabeth,” and the sequel “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.”
She has a career filled with award caliber projects but isn’t a stranger to studio blockbusters like “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Robin Hood,” also played an elf in the “The Hobbit,” and “Lord of The Rings” trilogies. After the critically-panned “Borderlands” movie, there is likely a good amount of second-guessing about picking up the next big tentpole and being a little more cautious.
While blanchett mentions the seriousness of leaving the acting profession, we’ll have to wait for a retirement announcement before Blanchett is truly going to be ending her acting career. Then again, Blanchett’s explanation of not feeling comfortable in the spotlight is certainly an understandable sentiment.
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Speaking of “Lord of The Rings,” the new “Hunt For Gollum” movie is on the horizon with Andy Serkis directing and reprising the Gollum role with an expectation that original actors like Ian McKellan and potentially Blanchett could be appearing. However, given these recent comments, getting her to return to Middle-Earth might not be the cakewalk as fans are assuming.
