‘I’M A TOTAL SUCKER FOR MAGIC’
Cate Blanchett gets candid
When it comes to Hollywood superstars, there’s no-one cooler than Cate Blanchett. Renowned for her style, wit and wildly successful career – lauded both commercially and critically – there’s isn’t much the Australian actress can’t do. In her latest film The House with a Clock In Its Walls, an adaptation of the popular children’s book, we see a different side of Blanchett. Donning a purple-grey wig as Florence Zimmerman, a powerful, goodnatured witch, Blanchett reveals to WHO she loved introducing her four kids to a book she’d loved when she was young. “I certainly enjoy reading books to my children that have been very important to me as a child, like this one. It was wonderful because it had gone out of print. So, [now] a whole generation of kids get to read it,” Blanchett says.
You play a witch, do you believe in magic?
Magic makes me scream. If a magician was to walk in here now and cut open a lemon and find the card that I’d guessed, I would scream uncontrollably like a 5-year-old. I’m a total sucker for magic, levitation, card tricks.
What was it like working with Jack Black?
What’s not to love about Jack? He’s a rare and wonderful creation of a human. It goes without saying he’s the most fantastic, wonderful, particular, unique, weird comedian.
This is a great film for kids. Did you run it past your family before taking the role?
I seek their opinions all the time. Particularly with a film like this, you want to know, “Is this something you want to go and see?” You’ve got to think, “Has this got a hope of reaching the people it’s trying to reach?” My oldest son is 16, and I learn so much from him. When I was sent the script, I said to him “They’re going to get Eli Roth to direct this. Isn’t he the guy that does all the horror?” And he goes, “Oh my God. You put Eli Roth on an Amblin film? That’s combustible.” [ Laughs] So I said, “OK, I should do this, right?” And he said, “Yeah.”
Have your kids seen the film yet?
They saw the early cut of the film. Eli was great, he said, “Please, please, please, bring your kids here.” He said, “I want to know what they think.” So they felt very empowered going to see the first cut and then the final film.
There are some creepy, haunted
elements to the film. Have you ever experienced anything like a haunted house?
I made a movie with Sam Raimi called The Gift and I was playing a clairvoyant, so I met clairvoyants in Los Angeles and one woman who worked with the FBI. I recorded our session. Years ago, we were moving house, I found all my notes. Luckily, I was sitting down because I would have fainted. Every thing she’d said had come true. She said I would have four kids. At the time, I had no kids and wasn’t thinking about raising a family. She said one would be adopted, two would be born overseas and one born in Australia, and that has come to pass.
You turn 50 next year, how do you embrace the idea of ageing as an actress?
I will answer that if you promise me you ask Jack the same question. So, you cannot turn the clock backwards. I am a great lover of history. These opportunities wouldn’t be afforded to me without the trailblazers in my industry. So, I think about it like that, rather than an actress ageing. But I’d be curious to see what Jack has to say.