Cate Blanchett has shared her opinion on whether she thinks celebrity-led plays are ruining West End theatre.
The Oscar-winning actor, 55, is set to star in Thomas Ostermeier’s new production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Barbican. The six-week run marks her return to the stage for the first time in six years.
Blanchett last starred in When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other at the National Theatre in 2019, shortly before the pandemic.
The Seagull is produced by Wessex Grove, who previously brought Andrew Scott’s one-man rendition of Vanya and an adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, starring James Norton, to the stage.
Speaking to The Guardian, Blanchett claimed that “cynical” stunt-casting – in which production companies employ star power to fuel ticket sales – is fine “as long as theatre does not become homogeneous”.
Celebrity-led productions have become increasingly common in recent years. Emily in Paris star Lily Collins, for example, made her West End debut in a widely panned production of Bess Wohl’s Barcelona last year, while several celebrities, including singers Cheryl Cole and Lily Allen, have starred in 2:22 A Ghost Story.
“It’s about how that person is used and whether their celebrity is harnessed to the cart of the production in a positive way, because sometimes that can really work,” Blanchett said.
“But it’s the follow-spot theatre that you’re talking about, where the lead actress or actor is slightly more brightly lit than others… You used the word ‘cynical’. I think you can smell that.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Blanchett said the secret to a successful production is believability. “In everything you do, you’re very aware that you’re walking that line with an audience where you’re saying, ‘We’re doing this for you but it is absolutely happening,’” she explained.
“Theatre’s like a magic trick. Are you coming with me? Are we going here together?”
Blanchett will star as Arkadina in Ostermeier's forthcoming adaptation of Russian writer Anton Chekhov’s play alongside Mad Max actor Tom Burke in the role of Trigorin and Emma Corrin as Nina.
Chekhov’s 1985 play follows Arkadina, a dominating personality who must navigate a series of personal conflicts when she visits her family’s country estate. Her husband is romantically pursued by a younger actor, while her son attempts to break free of Arkadina’s influence.
Speaking to Porter earlier this month, Blanchett revealed she finds herself frequently inspired by youngs actors, including her co-star Corrin.
“I’m just amazed by not only their aliveness of their point of view, but also their technical reserves in ways that I couldn’t have even imagined having or possessing when I was their age,” she said.
The Seagull will show at The Barbican in London for six weeks, starting on 26 February 2025.
