Cate Blanchett Talks Evolving LGBTQ Representation From Carol To Tár

Cate Blanchett has become an absolute icon over the course of her career. Though the Australian actor has been actively working since the early '90s (via IMDb), it wasn't until she landed the role of Galadriel in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy that she broke into the mainstream.

Her role in the epic fantasy behemoth, along with parts in movies like "The Gift" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley," launched the performer into the stratosphere, and she hasn't looked back since. Still, that doesn't mean Blanchett is going to rest on her laurels. The actor continues to work on new and exciting projects like "Tár," and she is already being eyed as a major contender for the Best Actress trophy at the 2023 Oscars for her lead performance in the film.

Still, there is another major laurel that's being crowned on Blanchett following this latest project with director Todd Field, and it has a lot to do with the fact that the actor has played an iconic queer character twice in the last decade.

Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss, who play a lesbian couple in "Tar," stopped by Attitude Magazine to have a chat about the film. When asked about how the film opened the door for more conversations in the me-too space for non-heterosexual relationships, Blanchett supported the discussion wholeheartedly.

"What I love about the story that Todd [Field] has wrought and the way he's directed it and the way we approached it is it was just their same-sex relationship — it just was," Blanchett explained. "It's not the subject matter of the film, nor are the characters' gender the subject matter of the film." 

Blanchett, who also played a gay woman in Todd Hayne's 2015 romantic drama "Carol," went on to address the progress that has been made in telling gay stories since that film. "When we made 'Carol,' there were so few films that were moving over into the mainstream that dealt with same-sex relationships and also picking it apart, [to show that] it's not a monolithic experience," Blanchett said. 

Furthermore, when Blanchett was asked how she feels about being singled out as a lesbian icon following the two roles, she was enthusiastic about it, even if she wasn't exactly sure what it meant. "Yeah, baby. That's so nice! I don't know what it means, but it's nice. Yeah, cool, I'll take it!" she said joyfully.