After over 30 years of captivating performances, Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett has revealed she is ready to step away from acting.
In a candid interview with Radio Times, the 55-year-old actress hesitated when asked about her profession, eventually confessing:
“It’s because I’m giving up [acting]. My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting.”
Blanchett, widely celebrated for her iconic roles in The Lord of the Rings, Blue Jasmine, and TÁR, said she has “a lot of things I want to do with my life”, though she didn’t provide a specific timeline for her retirement.
This isn’t the first time the Australian actress has hinted at leaving the limelight. Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2023, she admitted that thoughts of quitting come up regularly:
“It’s not occasional — it’s continual. On a daily or weekly basis, for sure. It’s a love affair, isn’t it? So you do fall in and out of love with it, and you have to be seduced back into it.”
Despite her latest declaration, Blanchett’s creative spirit hasn’t completely quieted. She is set to make her radio drama debut on BBC Radio 4 this Saturday in a 90-minute monologue titled “The Fever” by Wallace Shawn.
The audio play features Blanchett as an unnamed traveller who becomes ill while visiting a war-torn country. The role marks a new chapter in her career, showing her willingness to explore alternative storytelling formats.
A mother of four, Blanchett shared that part of the appeal of radio was the intimacy and unique power of the format.
Whether or not she fully steps away from the screen, Cate Blanchett’s impact on cinema and theatre is undeniable—and fans around the world will be watching closely to see what she does next.