Tár star Cate Blanchett reacts to her lesbian icon status in Hollywood. The legendary actor took home her fourth Golden Globe Award last week for her performance in 2022’s Tár. Written and directed by Todd Field, Tár follows Blanchett as world-renowned musical conductor and composer Lydia Tár as allegations of sexual misconduct unravel her personal life and career. A top winner in last year’s film festival circuit, Blanchett is now posed as a strong contender in the Oscar race for Best Actress. While success isn’t new to the prolific actor, the star has recently welcomed a certain title to add to her collection of accolades.
Speaking to Attitude Magazine, Cate Blanchett hilariously reacts to her lesbian icon status in Hollywood.
Giving the title a warm welcome, Blanchett seems more than willing to take on the crowning achievement. Read on to see what Blanchett had to say about her gay icon title, and watch her reaction to it in the video:
“Yeah, baby! That’s so nice, don’t know what it means, but it’s nice. Yeah, cool, I’ll take it.”
Blanchett’s Cinematic Lesbian Icon Status Explained
While Blanchett may be just learning of her place in LGBTQ+ culture now, her lesbian icon status is a title the internet’s rejoiced in for quite a few years. Blanchett proved her ability to portray a gay woman in 2015’s critically-acclaimed romance period drama, Carol. Both critics and viewers celebrated Blanchett’s performance as 1950s housewife Carol, in which she expertly captures the tragic, yet beautiful experience of being a gay woman during that period. Both Hollywood and the LGBTQ+ community within the entertainment industry embraced Blanchett for nailing the role, and she went on to receive a Golden Globe, Screen Actor’s Guild, and an Academy Award nomination for it, as well as GLAAD awarding Carol for Outstanding Film, Wide Release.
Blanchett returned to the big screen once more in a lesbian role for Tár. Although this time around, her role was drastically different from Carol, as it takes place in modern times, and the titular Lydia Tar finds herself embroiled in a #MeToo scandal. While not as easily lovable as Carol, Blanchett still steals the show as Tár, which forces audiences to form their own interpretations of the troubled musician. The film centers around power and the creative process rather than Lydia’s sexuality. Her position as a gay woman is not integral to the plot line, but it’s just an aspect of who she is, which normalizes being gay.
While it’s argued the lesbian icon title should be given to an actual lesbian actor, it seems the LGBTQ+ community is more than happy to welcome Blanchett as an honorary member. Although she is married to Andrew Upton, her commitment to giving LGBTQ+ members accurate and fair portrayals in film, coupled with her vocal support for gay rights, has proven the title is well-deserved. However, straight actors playing gay characters remain a contentious subject in Hollywood. Despite this, it seems LGBTQ+ women are in support of Blanchett continuing to portray similar characters. Although not everyone may be on-board with the idea, Blanchett continues to prove she can tackle nearly any role she is given, including Tár.
Source: Attitude Magazine