The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button , Ocean’s 8 , Mrs. America , Cinderella , Carol , and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring star, Cate Blanchett, is easily one of the most famous female actresses of all time.
She has starred in so many amazing films, and yet, there is still so much about her that fans don’t know yet!
1. She was born in Melbourne Australia.
Since we’ve heard her very believable American accent, it might be hard to guess that she was actually born, and grew up in Melbourne Australia.
There, she studied Economics and Fine Arts at the University of Melbourne in 1992.
2. Her first job was at a retirement home.
In a round of 20 questions with Marie Claire , Cate revealed that her first-ever job was “working in the kitchen of an old-age home in high school.”
Talk about humble beginnings, amirite?
3. She is a feminist.
When asked by Variety if she considers herself a feminist or not, Cate said:
“Yes, absolutely. I never thought otherwise. I’ve never understood the stigma around that because it’s really just a drive toward equality. It’s not about building a matriarchy, although given the endless millennia that we’ve labored under a patriarchy I wouldn’t mind a small slice of matriarchy somewhere.”
4. She loves fart jokes and Kristen Wiig.
While speaking with Oprah Magazine , Cate noted that fart jokes and Kristen Wiig are two of her favorite things, right next to Kristen Wiig making fart jokes.
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“In that order,” she added .
5. Her father passed away when she was young.
Cate’s father, Robert Blanchett, died in 1979 of a heart attack when Cate was just 10 years old.
Her mother raised her and her siblings on her own after that.
6. She thinks Netflix is great because it has become so global.
Speaking with Deadline , Cate explained that she finds streaming services such as Netflix to be an incredible tool because it allows people, internationally, to receive the same message.
Unlike local TV stations that only target viewers in one area.
7. She has faced sexism in Hollywood.
“There was a project I passed on recently, and I said, ‘I’m really sorry, but I know what the poster is going to be.’ I knew from the get-go what the metaphorical poster image would be — me, shoulder to shoulder, font size to font size with my fellow actor, and consequently I knew what my worth was in the so-called creative equation,” she told Variety .
‘”It would have been a fun film to make and a slog to publicize, but if I was being ‘sold’ as a commodity of equal value to my male counterpart and worked as hard as him, I couldn’t reconcile why I wasn’t being remunerated equally.”
“They wouldn’t budge. So I did not do it,” she said .
“If an actor is making a profound and pivotal contribution, then they should be remunerated accordingly. And when that remuneration is different, purely because of your gender, that’s just ridiculous. It’s a marker of how much you’re creatively valued within the equation. You want to be valued for your work.”
8. She is politically minded.
“I don’t see how you can’t be at the moment. I think it’s coming at us from all sides, really, and a lot of what’s happening is not really party political. It feels like it’s about the loss of civility or the threats upon our moral backbone,” she told Variety .
“Sometimes cultures have to bottom out. We have to get to rock bottom before change can happen,” she added.
“I feel really positive about the inevitable, positive moves toward equality in the face of a lot of fear and adversity. “
9. She was allegedly sexually harassed by Harvey Weinstein.
When asked point-blank in an interview with Variety whether or not Harvey Weinstein had ever been inappropriate with her, she replied without hesitation: “Yes.”
She also added that if Woody Allen’s case ever reopened, she would be in full support of his accuser.
10. She never leaves home without lipstick and wet wipes.
While some of us never leave home without our wallets, watches, keys, sunglasses, or mints, Cate’s essential items are slightly different!
In an interview with Marie Claire she explained that she never leaves home without her lipstick and a pack of wet wipes.
11. Her celebrity guest list for dinner parties is top tier.
When asked by Marie Claire , Ideally, who she would invite to a dinner party, Cate replied:
“Amy Poehler, Julian Schnabel, Steven Soderbergh, Tim Flannery, Hillary Clinton, Christine Lagarde, and Elaine Stritch.”
12. She used to be “very socially awkward” when she was younger.
“I think he would say I’ve got better at my job. That I’ve learned to get out of my own way a bit more. I think perhaps he would say I’m a little less socially awkward. I hope so anyway. I used to be very socially awkward. Walk into a room. Not know what to say,” she told The Guardian .
