Kate Blanchet respects herself for this role. Let's tell why.
Miss "Perfect perfection in all respects": impeccable porcelain leather, perfectly laid hairstyle, barely noticeable make-up. Graceful gestures, seductive and at the same time determined gait, sharp judgments, sharp mind and courageous courage. The ability to look equally seductive in a designer evening dress, a man's suit and a sports uniform. And yet - a great talent.
Proud bearing and an impenetrable face-mask. Aura of greatness that does not allow anyone to get too close. Talent organizer and strategist. Ability not to be exchanged for trifles, but always and in everything see the main goal. And at the same time, the ability not to be shy, showing weakness - for the queens are also women.
Kate Blanchett played two queens. Elizabeth I of England - in the glorified her film Shehar Kapoor "Elizabeth" and its continuation "The Golden Age". And the queen of elves Galadriel - in the fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings". However, by her own admission - sincere, as always, - in the latter role she wanted to withdraw only because she always dreamed of trying pointed ears. But for the first she was recognized as the best of all screen monarchs. And definitely Blanchett was chosen for the role not for appearance (just look at the portraits of the queen to see how they are different - say, the one with brown eyes, and with Kate they are blue). A little-known actress who starred in several Australian films and TV series "for domestic consumption," the director saw in the costume tape "Oscar and Lucinda," where Blanchett played the role of an English aristocrat, and decided that the very first English lady should look exactly this way. Indian, what with it you take. Kate grasped the very essence, not so much of Elizabeth as any woman in power: the desire to protect and protect, and not to take someone else's, and the supernatural ability not to break, when the world with such difficulty assembled into a brick collapses overnight.
The inner power of Kate Blanchett, which many admire, is the reverse side of realizing how fragile and habitual the order of things and every single human life in it is. To the cinematic Elizabeth, this awareness came after the betrayal of her beloved Robert Dudley. Kate also realized this quite early - at ten years old, when her father died of a heart attack. "That day I was sitting by the window and playing the piano, my dad walked along the lawn in front of our house and waved goodbye to me ... and that's it. I then made my conclusions from what had happened. I decided that I should really say goodbye if I'm going somewhere, because it might turn out that you are leaving forever. Mom sent me for milk to the other end of the street, I took money and said goodbye to her seriously, then said goodbye to everyone who was at that time at home. If I left something, forgot something, and had to return, the whole ritual was repeated. It's strange, but neither my older brother Bob nor Genevieve, the younger sister, ever laughed at this strangeness. "
Seeing how hard it is for her mother, a simple teacher, to manage one with three children, Kate decided to get a prestigious profession and went to enter the Economics Department of Melbourne University. But it soon became clear that all these numbers and formulas were not given to her. In complete frustration, scorching herself for the weakness she showed, perfectionist Kate left the university and traveled alone: first to England, then to Egypt. In Egypt, at the hotel where she stayed, one day a casting specialist looked up, looking for actors for the crowd. Kate needed money, and she agreed. The movie turned out to be sporting - about boxing, and from extras it was required to sit in the stands and shout loudly at every successful stroke. It's no wonder that the future actress considered the film industry to be completely stupid.
However, on her return to Melbourne, Keith entered the National University of Dramatic Art - true, she dreamed of being an actress rather than an actor, but a director. She remembered the experience of amateur productions at the women's college, which she was finishing: there she managed to stage a performance based on Horace McCoy's novel "Hunted horses are shot, is not it?" In choosing a profession, Blanchett also showed herself as a true queen - the lead and not the lead author , and not the performer. Just in the future it turned out that it was better to play on stage: the young actress was literally filled up with professional awards, and there was not far to television and cinema. In short, everything happened, according to Keith, quite by chance, for that's life: "I live in a world where everything is relative. Work, success? What I considered to be my achievements was repeatedly on the floor in the editing room - in the scraps of the shooting process. People who we considered close, can move away - not for any reason, but simply life is like that. Life is not a film, the plot is much more difficult to trace in it, the motives for actions are sometimes hidden or false. The meaning is only in your personal sensation - everything is relative, except for a sense of happiness. Or misfortune. I'm talking about the sensations, not the circumstances. "
This philosophical attitude to the ups and downs of the "roller coaster" of life, apparently, saved the actress from star fever. Her heroine, Galadriel, successfully confronts the temptation of the Ring of All-Power, and Kate himself managed to avoid all temptations of glory. By her confession, having received an Oscar, she only breathed a sigh of relief: "Who needs fuss around the Oscar?" Yes, my mother. She was so sick for me! And I was rooting for her. But I never wanted to be Another Big Hollywood Star. "
A disheveled young poet, an eccentric slave of his inspiration. Angular, rugged, eternal teenager, a rebel against everything in the world, indifferent to everything, except creativity. An unpleasant companion, an unreliable friend, an inattentive lover - but in everything he does, such an inner freedom gushes a violent wave that only envious people can be around.
Since the time of Sara Bernard, who played on the stage of Hamlet, male roles - not a travesty, as in "Twelfth Night" or "The Guys Do not Cry", but the role of real men - remain the cherished dream of many actresses. Success on the transgender field was not possible for almost anyone. Among the phenomenal lucky ones are Tilda Swinton ("Orlando") and Keith Blanchett ("I'm not here").
It is commonly believed that "I'm not here" is a film about Bob Dylan, but there is not enough biographical in him. This is an experiment: six actors are played by six different personalities, which easily fit into a great musician. The characters are even called differently. Kate got the image of Dylan the rebel, an iconic personality of the generation. His name is Jude Queen (and here is the queen!). Blanchet again approached the image with all possible seriousness - even shoved a crumpled sock into her trousers to make it easier to imitate a man's gait. "For the shooting, I had to lose a lot of weight, although I was not fat. I ate two cucumbers and three leaves of salad a day. Nightmare. I also tried to smoke strong cigarettes, which Bob loved so much. The biggest compliment was when people, seeing my photographic tests, did not even realize that this black-haired, disheveled young man in a leather jacket is Blanchett. "
The question is natural: did Kate better understand men after she was in the shoes of one of them? Perhaps she had not complained about it before. In any case, with her husband, screenwriter and playwright Andrew Upton, they live soul in the soul of the thirteenth year, they have three sons - Dashil John, Roman Robert and Ignatius Martin. Meanwhile, when she first met Andrew, he did not like her at all: "Andrew and I met in some public place, he was with his then-girlfriend, I knew her, and I really liked her. But Andrew and Andrew did not like each other: he seemed arrogant to me, and I told him - cold and indifferent. But then they met again and again, by accident, Andrew spoke about Turgenev, about the "Month in the Village" - a very delicate and very sad thing ... And all. That was enough ... He shared his Turgenev with me and, it seems, then he kissed me ... and everything was clarified. " The wedding was played in the Australian National Park "Blue Mountains", and completely forgot to invite the photographer.
Now the couple's dream is to repeat the ritual somehow only to capture this joyful event. It would seem that a family in which the wife has achieved far greater success than her husband is doomed by definition. But no - this does not apply to Blanchett and Upton. It's just that Kate is busy with her business, Andrew is with her, but they are trying not to leave for long. Husband and children are ready at any time to withdraw from the scene and go with Kate for the next shooting, and she will refuse the most profitable kinopredlozheniya, if the husband will conceive an interesting theatrical performance. In this marriage there is no division of territories, fear of boring each other - even a desktop with a computer for four is one for two. And the fact that the appearance of her husband is not Hollywood, the actress does not hurt: she always believed that a man does not make sex a body, but a mind.
The recipe for the perfect marriage from Keith Blanchett? It's simple: marry a man-like person equal to you on an intellectual level, and do not neglect your marital duty. Yes, Kate is one of the few celebrities who openly say a simple truth: marriage consent is largely based on harmony in bed. "You must be ready to make the right movements at the right time. I mean the rhythm. I'm sure: if you have a good sexual relationship, then you will have a state of a kind of synchronization with each other. "
She was a thin, disheveled blonde with nervous fingers and a concentrated, inquiring eye, a typical graduate of a liberal arts college. She could be your neighbor or teach literature at the school where your child is studying. She is emotional, cordial in communication, always ready to help, but sometimes it is difficult for her to understand her feelings. She is both strong and defenseless, any man will want to hide her jacket, and any woman - sincerely chat with her in the midnight kitchen.
In all the variety of characters played by Blanchett, her heroine in the film "The Scandalous Diary" stands out just for its ordinary - in its place could be any of us. The teacher Sheba Hart (played by Kate) starts an affair with her student - and becomes an object of blackmail from her older colleague Barbara Covett (Judy Dench), who in exchange for her silence demands that Sheba enter into sexual intercourse with her. What prompted Kate, famous for the roles of strong women, to play a weak victim of circumstances? She likes to say: "Do not take a role if you do not like the character." Kate liked the fragility and vulnerability of the heroine, her inner loneliness and the sea of unspent feelings. All this is not in Blanchett: she had to be anything in her life, but not a victim. And then you realize, finally, that the profession of an actor is not only hard labor, intrigues and scandals. It is also a unique opportunity to be another person, to live a different life, even if it fits in two hours of screen time.
Kate does not like glamor vanity for various reasons. Mostly she does not like the glossy images that capture the minds of people: "Sometimes I watch actresses in Hollywood, New York - they are beaten with fear as moths. Fear of getting old, cease to be attractive. Botox is fear, injected with a syringe ... Dear, but death does not become less inevitable because your faces are immobile! "
Kate is not afraid of old age: footage from red tracks gives out her wrinkles in the corners of her eyes, but since the actress does not attach importance to them, this indifference is transferred to the viewer. Although she does not neglect to take care of herself, she carries a small suitcase packed with her favorite creams and masks on all trips, because she considers it necessary to moisturize and protect the skin. But the main thing (this advice went to the actress from his mother) is not to give, not a single chance to the harmful sun rays! Therefore, to the luggage in the case of trips to the southern edge is added and a beach umbrella.
Diets and grueling workouts? It's not for Kate. Follow the figure, she began only after the birth of the second child, and then to maintain the form it is quite enough pilates and rare games in tennis. "My children are my fitness club," Blanchet laughs. - Then I work a lot, and the actor's work is quite physical, you can believe me. "
She panickedly afraid to get bogged down in domestic affairs: "When Dashila was several months old, I started shooting in" The Hunt for Veronica ". And then I started to panic: I suddenly decided that I could not play any more, as before, all my feelings and thoughts are occupied by the child. I breastfed my son, I did not have enough time to think deeply about the role, in the midnight discussion, with my colleagues. But then the fears passed. I just started working, freeing myself from indulgence towards myself and other stuff that occupies actors. "
Kate says that the children taught her to appreciate time and choose for herself what is really important. And I must say, she has a supernatural flair for choice. Perhaps the real secret of her success is trust in herself. And the ability to remain yourself in every reflection.
Such is the portrait of our heroine in the eyes of the fans, but one of the characters of Kate, the great actress Katharine Hepburn, corresponds to it. In 2005, for her role in the Martin Scorsese film "Aviator", Blanchett received her only Oscar - and created a unique precedent in the history of the Film Academy, winning the statuette thanks to the role of a historical personality, also awarded an Oscar (yes, not one but four). For Robin Hood, Kate Blanchett has really grown up, she believes.
The role of Hepburn was made by her "according to Stanislavsky": Kate even acquired the habit of taking a cold shower every morning, as the queen of the old Hollywood did. Daily water procedures are one of Hepburn's two principles, which she followed all her life, the second - always telling the truth. And with this, Blanchett, it seems, is also all right. Among journalists, she is known as closed and non-contact, but this is a superficial impression, in fact she gives the same clear and simple answers to direct questions. And then something adds. For example, she can easily fall apart in compliments to the talent and professionalism of Brad Pitt, with whom she starred in "Babylon" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and then with a smile, add: "But, to be honest, look at how he is in love with Angelina, in fact, quite disgusting. Just awful". While the interviewer tries to break free from the stupor and see if the actress really meant what she said, Kate translates it all into a joke. But the main thing has already been said, and this is exactly what other people do not dare to say aloud: in fact, how much can you turn personal life into a public one and show intimate feelings "secretly to the whole world" ?! Itself, Kate is very restrained, and emotions in her words and gestures, she "puts" just as much as the situation requires, no more and no less.
For the role of Katharine Hepburn, she was chosen not least because of her appearance: Kate is very "old-style" type, from those times when women valued the breed. High cheekbones, thin wrists, radiant eyes - these ladies look much more fragile than they really are. In 1999, People magazine included Blanchett among the fifty most beautiful people on the planet. At the same time, there are many movie lovers who appreciate the actress only for the dramatic talent, and her appearance is considered inexpressive: my makeup girlfriend somehow called her a "faded watercolor sketch." And Kate herself speaks of herself as a "rather colorless blonde", preferring "old TV shades" (white, gray, black) in her clothes, and in make-up - pastel colors. Her only weakness is bright lipstick, blood color or crushed berries.
For a role in Robin Hood, Cate Blanchett really transformed, became more experienced in historical films and gave the role to herself.
On the Internet, you can find many photo sessions for which Blanchett was turned into a female vamp, dressed in seductive dresses, laying her hair with sensual curls, making a predatory makeup. The woman who watches from these frames is very good, but she has one drawback: she is not Keith Blanchett. Kate does not make up her hair and make-up, but something else: not that disarming smile, not the spark of a mocking mind, or the ease of gestures and intonations. Looking closer to Blanchet, you understand that she is a sister not to the stars of the old Hollywood, but to a new generation of "chameleon actresses," smart and strong women, for whom appearance is far from the main commodity at the fictional vanity fair: from Meryl Streep and Suezan Sarandon before Julianne Moore and Jodie Foster.
And Kate was born in Australia (although her father is an American of French origin), and this should also be remembered. The fifth continent is the birthplace of extraordinary, strong-minded women who appear fragile only until the first critical situation. Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watte - the list is certain to be continued, the Australian conquest of the world has just begun. By the way, Australians, well, remember who they are and where, and try to hold on to each other, while maintaining a healthy relationship of competition. For example, now Kate and his family live in New York, Brighton, and regularly leaves the children who moved to the same countryman Hugh Jackman, who enjoys walking with them and playing snowballs. And yet everyone knows that she is friends with Nicole Kidman. Nevertheless, when Karl Lagerfeld invited Blanchett to take part in the new advertising campaign Chanel in the image of Mademoiselle Coco, Kate replied that she would only agree if she did not get to the pages of one magazine with Kidman (as is known, Nicole is not the first year is a person Chanel). Friendship is friendship, but it is better not to wander to the territory of foreign professional ambitions.