The Making Of A Movie Star.

Cate Blanchett is taking new found fame in her stride.
by Kim Wilson

It wasn't that long ago when actor Cate Blanchett could walk down the street unnoticed.

Now the striking, Melbourne-born talent is the most talked about rising star in Hollywood with a best actress Golden Globe and Oscar nomination for Elizabeth.

She is about to tackle London's revered West-End in a new play.
And now she has three movies ready for release opposite such names as Billy Bob Thornton and Gwneth Paltrow.

Stunning performances in Elizabeth and her breakthrough role in Oscar and Lucinda have the 29-year old being compared with Meryl Streep and Katherine Hepburn.

Elizabeth director Shekar Kapur has said: "Cate has a translucent quality that is ageless - not in terms of age but in terms of century. She also has the ability to be strong and vulnerable at the same time."

Blanchett's friends and colleagues told the Herald Sun after her latest triumph that she was destined to be a success.

They say that as a schoolgirl at Methodist Ladies College in Kew, the charismatic teenager displayed star qualities.
"We hoped she'd go on to do the things she's done," said former MLC headmaster David Loader.

A brilliant student, prefect, and captain of drama, Blanchett produced many school productions before graduating in 1986. "I remember her as being strong, assertive, colouful, interesting and challenging," Mr. Loader said.

Blanchett's father died from a heart attack when she was only 10. As the middle of three children, she developed a burning desire for acting after watching a magician at a friend's birthday when she was six.

Blanchett combined an economics degree with fine arts at Melbourne university, spending her spare time focusing on drama and performing in university plays.

According to performance drama teacher Glenn D'Cruz, Blanchett was an outstanding student with boundless potential.
"She was outstanding, very intelligent and capable," he said. "To this day her self-devised performance stands out as one of the most impressive pieces of student theatre I've ever seen."

Friend and former fellow student David Symons said despite Blanchett's talent, she was a generous performer.
"I knew from the first time I auditioned her she'd end up being a fine performer in films," Mr. Symons said.

Less than two years into her Melbourne university degree Blanchett dropped out to pursue acting. She successfully auditioned for the National Institute of Dramatic Art, where she stood out in a field of exceptional talent.

"She was a remarkable girl," said NIDA director John Clark. "She gave performances which made it clear she was going to have a brilliant career. It doesn't surprise me she's done so well so quickly. It's partly because she is very nice to get along with."

Acting agent Robyn Gardiner snapped Blanchett up after she graduated in 1992.
"She was especially talented," she said. "like all true actors she just wanted to do good work. Her aim in life was never to be a Hollywood star."

She said Blanchett struggled to get work after graduating from NIDA but eventually landed a role in Sydney Theatre Company's "Top Girls" and then won a role in "Kafka Dances".

Winning the 1993 newcomer award from the Sydney Theatre Critics Circle for that performance, Blanchett went on to star in "Oleanna", for which she won her second award, the Rosemount best actress award.

Blanchett then branched into television, appearing in Channel Two's "Heartland", "Bordertown", "GP" and "Police Rescue". Her other theatre credits include "The Tempest", "The Blind Giant Is Dancing" and "The Seagull" for the Belvoir Street Theatre Company.

Blanchett made her feature film debut in Bruce Beresford's Paradise road, opposite Glenn Close. She went on to co-star in Thank God He Met Lizzie, for which she won an AFI award for best supporting actress.

Her third film, Oscar and Lucinda, brought critical acclaim and international recognition. Oscar And Lucinda director Gillian Armstrong described Blanchett in glowing terms.
"I really do think the camera often sees into people's souls," she said. "And she has such a goodness. She has a good heart and that really comes through."

Blanchett married script editor Andrew Upton in 1997 after meeting him on the set of Thank God He Met Lizzie.

But it was her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I that has rocketed her to international success. Although Blanchett is riding high, her friends say she is keeping her feet firmly planted on the ground.

"She is not interested in self-promotion," said friend and Belvoir Theatre general manager Rachel Healy. "She sees the increased interest for what it is. She is not in the least star struck."

Ms. Gardiner said while Blanchett was grateful for increased opportunities, the attention could be difficult to handle.
"She focuses on her work rather than the extraneous things," she said.

Blanchett is working in London on a play, "Plenty" and has three movies soon to be released. They include An Ideal Husband with Rupert Everett and Minnie Driver, Pushing Tin with Billy Bob Thornton and The Talented Mr. Ripley opposite Gwyneth Paltrow.

Herald Sun, Saturday, 13th February, 1999.

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