Catching up with two time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett last night at the premiere of “Truth” in New York. Cate stars as Mary Mapes, former “60 Minutes” producer who was fired along with Dan Rather back in 2004 after a story about George W. Bush’s time in the Air National Guard backfired.
I asked Cate whether rumors in the Australian press that she was leaving her home in Australia and moving to the U.S. were true.
She laughed. “No they are not. Why would I leave Australia? We’ve devoted our lives to the theater there. But my husband, Andrew, is ending his run. And we thought we’d travel for a year, a year abroad. No one seems to understand this.”
No secret: Cate is one of my favorite people. I’ve known her since she was in “Elizabeth” in 1998. She was denied the Oscar that year but eventually won Supporting Actress in “The Aviator” and Best Actress for “Blue Jasmine.” This year she’s in a quandary. She has lead roles in both “Carol” and “Truth.” Either won would be a winner, I tell her.
“Forget that,” she said. “Did the movie work? How do you feel about it?” she asked. Blanchett produced the film, which was shot mostly in Australia so she could be home with husband Andrew Upton and her kids. She is much more interested in discussing other current movies. She also has high praise for co-star Robert Redford.
“He transforms himself. His whole demeanor,” she says. “There’s one scene where he calls me, and talks about the history of journalism.” She shakes her head. “Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.”
Friday night, “Carol” plays at the New York Film Festival, then Cate goes home to spend a month with her family. She returns in late November to start an Oscar campaign– although it’s not clear which one yet.
As for “Carol,” she is also — as am I– enthralled with cinematographer Ed Lachman. “I keep begging him to make a book of his Polaroids [of the scenes] he’s designed. They are the movies.”
