Being a queen comes easily to Cate Blanchett

Exploring Elizabeth’s ‘private self’
One of the things Blanchett was keen on doing was figuratively infiltrating the queen’s private chambers.

“There is definitely a difference between the public self and the private self,” she said. “And also even when you meet the current queen, she has a very different speaking voice in person than when she speaks in public.”

And although Blanchett doesn’t subscribe to the theories that Elizabeth I could have been quite mad, she does think the queen had issues with intimacy. It’s no wonder with her family history.

“Her mother died when she was incredibly young — killed by her father,” Blanchett said. “And she grew up not even knowing if she was going to live and had to beg for her life from her sickly brother who ascended the throne. And then her sister wanted to kill her. So, I think her notion of intimacy was incredibly violated from a very early age. And the notion of ever forming a marriage with anybody was kind of a dangerous and unattractive prospect. I think that was an interesting thing to play.”

There’s already talk that Blanchett, who is currently appearing as another icon, Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There,” might have yet another opportunity to revise this character in a third installment that could possibly focus on the later years of her life, including her complicated relationship with Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex.

“Shekhar has talked about it but he’s very provocative,” Blanchett said. “So whether or not it will happen, I don’t know. But I’ve got plenty of time. I think it would be a fantastic journey once again.”

Cate takes On playing Bob Dylan: “The idea of playing Bob Dylan was just so utterly ludicrous that, of course, I had to say, yes (laughs). And it was very daunting. He’s a very, very elusive mercurial performer and cultural figure, let’s face it.” On revealing what’s happening in the “Indiana Jones” movie she just wrapped: “I can’t say. I would be shot. This room would be blown up and all of our families would be terribly upset.” On Brad Pitt’s performance in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”: “Brad Pitt is a glory and extraordinary in the film.” On the costumes in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”: “It affects the size of the doorways you go through. They are incredibly heavy. I think the corset and the weight of the gown influences your carriage and the way you project. And also, the wonderful thing it gives you, too, is how close and how intimate you can get with the other characters so it influences the frame.” On the problems experienced by younger celebrities: “Jodie Foster started acting early. It depends on their personality, their choices and their upbringing. There are a whole lot of factors that go into these things.”

Miki Turner is an entertainment columnist for MSNBC.com. She welcomes your comments at

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