Cate Blanchett is opening up about her take on method acting, especially when it came to her new film, TÁR.
In the film, the 53-year-old star plays conductor Lydia Tar, who is just days away from recording the symphony that will elevate her career. When all elements seem to conspire against her, Lydia’s adopted daughter Petra becomes an integral emotional support for her struggling mother.
In a new interview, Cate opened up about how method acting helped her approach to the movie.
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Speaking with IndieWire alongside director Todd Field, Cate talked about staying in character, even when she wasn’t filming.
“There were some parts of the character’s situations or intensity of the focus that I didn’t quite drop in between setups. I don’t know if it’s from spending years and years onstage, but I have the ability to be objective and subjective simultaneously,” she explained. “You have to know where the camera is: OK, I’ve got to rotate more than three quarters because otherwise you’re not going to see into my eye and that’s really important.”
Cate went on, saying that “at the same time, you have to allow this thing to flow through you. Todd always has the camera in the right position. So when he was setting up, I saw the position of the camera as a proscenium: If I stand stage-right, it’s going to mean something profoundly different than if I’m center-stage left. You were very generous about letting us know what the frame was so we know how best to use it.”
While Cate was aware of what was happening around her and didn’t solely become the character, it still stuck with her when she wasn’t on set.
“For me, it’s not so much that you take the character home each night. It’s more about you focus on when you’re walking on the street at night during the odd day off we had,” she says. “I would hear things differently. I’d come into a room and notice the curtain as opposed to the bathroom. Your focus shifts.”
Many more actors have opened up about method acting, including Andrew Garfield, Brian Cox and Jon Bernthal.
