Cate Blanchett says her performance in Tar was ‘very dangerous and potentially career-ending’

Cate Blanchett says her performance in Todd Field’s Tar was “very dangerous and career-ending”.

During her acceptance speech for winning Best Actress at the Baftas on Sunday night (19 February), the 53-year-old actor thanked the Tar producers for “holding their nerve” in making the film.

Blanchett plays the role of conductor Lydia Tar, who is a complicated genius facing misconduct accusations in the film.

During her speech, Blanchett told the audience that she “didn’t prepare anything” for her “extraordinary” win.

“It’s been such an extraordinary year for women, as you’ve seen in those clips, all of my fellow nominees, the conversation with all of you off the screen and on the screen has been nothing short of remarkable and we know that we’re just the tip of the iceberg,” she said.

“Every year there’s idiosyncratic, remarkable performances just breaking down the myth that women’s experience is monolithic.

“So thank you to Bafta for recognising all of us, we sit in dialogue with one another.”

She also thanked Universal Pictures-based Focus Features “for being such extraordinary partners (as) this was a very dangerous and career-ending, potentially, undertaking, and so thanks for holding the nerve”.

Tearfully, she added: “Thank you for everybody… it does take an army but this really does belong in part of my family, thank you so much for letting me go because this… it did take a lot and it took me away from you.”

During a backstage interview, Blanchett told the press that Tar is “coming to the end” of her teaching and artistic cycle “and she’s about to hit 50, I’ve moved beyond 50”.

“I feel like… coming out of the pandemic, there are certain changes, creatively and personally… the only opportunity out of that devastating event is to make changes that you’ve been wanting to make for a long time.”

She added that it was “painful” being apart from husband Andrew Upton and three of her children, as one of her daughters was with her during filming in Berlin.

Read about the biggest talking points of the night here and the gaffe that didn’t make the edit here.

Additional reporting from agencies