Cate Blanchett explains the “sense of loss” surrounding her movies
After delivering what some have dubbed the performance of her lifetime in Todd Field’s psychological drama Tár, Cate Blanchett reaffirmed to everyone that she is undoubtedly one of the very best character actors in Hollywood. From her latest flourish to other classic performances such as Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and her Academy Award-winning portrayal of Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, throughout her career, Blanchett has tried her hand at almost everything. Despite the success, Blanchett still has regrets about every one of her movies, with a sense of “loss” filling her reflective thinking.
Blanchett outlined her regrets about her past work when speaking to Sean Evans for Hot Ones in October 2022. She revealed that despite whatever brilliance might have been captured during production, she feels profound regret on the last day of shooting, no matter what film. Exhibiting her tendency to push herself to the full, this is the moment she realises that she could have done much more in her time on set.
When filming is wrapped, Blanchett rues what could have been. “Yeah, all the things you could’ve, should’ve, would’ve done,” she told Evans on Hot Ones. When the host asked her if there’s one role that sticks out more than others, the actor confessed: “I mean, it’s always the one I just did”.
When speaking to Vulture in October 2015, Blanchett provided more detail about how she regrets the movies she’s starred in. Asked by the interviewer if she experiences a “postpartum” sense of loss afterwards, she explained that the difference between theatre and film is that you can rectify mistakes on stage. It is this that bugs her most.
Blanchett said: “The next project helps you shake it, and the fact that I’ve got such a life outside work helps me shake it. You know, I’ve got four kids — they’re not interested in the detritus from me walking off-set. That helps. But it’s a strange thing with filmmaking because I’m always filled with regret on the last day of shooting when I think I finally understand this character.”
The actor continued: “That’s what I love about theatre: You get to go out the next night and repair the fuck-ups that you did the night before, but with film, there is a strange sense of loss because you have to let that person go. Even with someone who’s as detestable as the stepmother in Cinderella, there’s a kind of relish in playing her, and you have to let it go.”
