Cate Blanchett has said she is “serious about giving up acting” and that there are other things she wants to do with her life.
On the back of recent release Black Bag, the Australian has told the Radio Times that she is looking to the future after she wraps BBC Radio 4 drama The Fever – her first radio show.
“My family rolls their eyes every time I say it but I mean it,” she said. “I am serious about giving up acting. [There are] a lot of things I want to do with my life.”
Blanchett is one of the most highly regarded actresses of this century and would be widely missed by film fans if she did leave the screen behind. She is rated too by the industry, having won Oscars for The Aviator (2005) and Blue Jasmine (2014).
This is what we know.
Is Cate Blanchett going to retire?
The 55-year-old has not explicitly said what she will do next other than to say “[there are] a lot of things I want to do with my life”.
She is known not to enjoy being a celebrity and seems to want a quieter life.
“When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see soundbites of things you’ve said, pulled out and italicised, they sound really loud. I’m not that person,” she said.
“I make more sense in motion – it’s been a long time to remotely get comfortable with the idea of being photographed.
“I’ve always felt like I’m on the periphery of things, so I’m always surprised when I belong anywhere. I go with curiosity into whatever environment that I’m in, not expecting to be accepted or welcomed.”
She has lived in Australia with her family since leaving Brighton in 2006 but after a decade in Sydney they returned in 2016 and have since lived in Crowborough, East Sussex.
Outside acting she has represented skincare brand SK-II and Armani fragrances.
Is she married?
Blanchett has been married to Australian playwright and screenwriter Andrew Upton since 1997 – having met in their native country in the early 1990s.
They acted as co-directors of the Sydney Theatre Company from 2008 until 2013 for Blanchett and 2015 for Upton.
Does she have children?
Yes, Blanchett and Upton have three sons and adopted a daughter in 2015.
What are her biggest roles?
Blanchett rose to fame with her role as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998), for which she won the first of four Baftas, and has gone on to star in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as Galadriel and in Ocean’s 8 (2018).
She has also won acclaim for her performances in The Talented Mr Ripley (1999), The Aviator (2004) and Tár (2022). Of the Lord of the Rings, she has recently said that the cast got “free sandwiches” and not a lot more despite the films generating huge revenue.
Of Ocean’s 8, she said: “[It] was too much fun! I hope and trust it will be as much fun to watch as it was to make.
“It’s funny because you don’t worry about what you’re missing until you experience it. Something that all of us were saying is that an all-female starring cast is so rare.”
What is Cate Blanchett’s net worth
A figure quoted by the Mail is that Blanchett is worth $95 million – around £71 million.
