SmartLess - "Cate Blanchett"

Episode Date: March 14, 2022

We roll up our sleeves and get down to business with none other than Cate Blanchett. She reveals her aspirations to make cheese, Sean fans-out on Lord of the Rings, Will explains his rich history in lowered expectations, and Jason explores his elasticity challenges. Pass the honey butter; it’s SmartLess.Please support us by supporting our sponsors!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

music hey wait quiet up here this isn't so swell I'm gonna bust this joint up say Shawn you'll never believe it what It's an all-new SmartLess Smart-Less

Smart-Less Smart-Less Good morning, men. How is your pace? What's your pace like on your walking gate? Like would you say it's slow, medium, or fast? It's very slow. Is it?

I don't know. Will you tell me? I don't watch my gate. You do. I've seen it. I've seen your gate. I would call it... It's pretty quick.

It's deliberate. It's deliberate. Your arms and the waist and the legs all going at the same time. Because you did an impression of my walking the other day, like you had like your hips forward and kind of, you know. You do lead with your hips. Each step starts with the throw of the corresponding hip. Some people lead with their breasts.

Some people lead with their toes. You lead with your hip bones. And you throw your leg around the hip socket. It's weird. It's like you can't... It's like a walking dance. Yeah. You can't get your knee out in front of your body.

What are you talking about? Where is it? First of all, he's not like a walking robot. Sean, how do you... I lead with my neck. My neck is the first thing that enters a room. You do? Yeah.

That's true. You'd be great at like in running a race to break the tape. Yeah. You know what I mean? Well, here's a better description of your walk. If you were trying to hold a brick between your upper, upper, upper inner thighs. And then walk. You'd have to throw your legs around that brick while still clenching there in your saddle

there. It's like something's broken in you that you never fixed. Wait a second. It's your pelvic. Jeff, you, bro. First of all. Right on the top. It works for you, though.

Last week, we were playing golf. Not with Jason. What? Yeah, I know. Because I was like, I should try it. And I see this guy on the other fairway. And the guy, he was, I'm guessing, I'm not good with age, but I'm guessing he was 900 years old.

And he was, and I said, look at, we couldn't see very well. I said, look at Bateman and he, this guy, he barely leaning over the ball and even good for him. This old, this old guy, this, you know, getting, getting it going. And I said, you know, the amazing thing is that guy and Jason have the same bone density. Listen, I'm, I'm very fragile. I'm, I'm, I'm like a veal, you know, said it before, you know, it's interesting. We, we finished Ozark last night, the new season, and you getting thrown around like

that on the ground. I'm like, is that Jason or is that a stunt person? Here we go. Most of it was stunts. Oh, it was really? Yeah. I can no longer tie my shoes without really engaging my core so I don't pull out my lower back.

I get it. And let's be honest, let's be honest. You can't get into, out of a standing into any kind of a squat without farting. I mean, that's, that's, well, that's a whole different, I've lost all the elasticity in my valve. So, but I'm, I've got an appointment for that. I'll drive you. When I'm talking more about my, my flexibility, I think is what Sean's asking about.

That's okay. I think I got my answer. I'm installing a lace, a lace system, kind of like a corset shoe, high top at that. That's a good name for you, by the way. Old shoe. Hey, old shoe. Confidence, Mellie. Guys, this person today, who's been patiently waiting, God bless her.

Is one of those actors. Are you a female? We've been very, very crass here. I apologize. No, that's okay. You, she, I'm so excited that she's on the show today. She is one of those actors that has a career that everyone dreams of. I know I do, but it's bestowed upon her only because of her unbelievable and undeniable

talent. She has the ability, she's one of those actors that ability to transform from one character to another. Like it's a crazy magic trick, which I can't wait to talk about. 70, sorry, seven. I love that. Seven Academy Award nominations. That's two more than me.

You're having a tough time reading your own handwriting right now. Yeah. Didn't you write this? Or is it? Yeah. And Scotty put this together for you. No. She's got two Oscar wins, three British Academy Film Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards,

three Golden Globes. Among the many films that I love and what she's in and I love her in them, she's, you know, she's theater folk. She's show folk like me. So I was excited to meet her at the Tony Awards in 2016. She doesn't know it, but she's my best friend in the whole world. It's Kate Blanchett. What?

What? You can't book Kate Blanchett. She's got that kind of skill. What are you doing? You're having kind of money. Oh my goodness. Sean, how'd you do it? I love the way you move from bowel elasticity to let's talk about our next guest.

Welcome. It's the natural. It's someone who still has the control over bowel. You've made a terrible mistake. And 70 Academy nominations. Yes, 70. 70. By your publicist, Kate.

Wow. Where are you, Kate, right now? I'm in my husband's study. In? What continent? Good question. I love that you're looking over your shoulder. I'm in little Britain.

Tiny Britain. Tiny little Britain. Wee Britain. As the rest of development used to call it. Wee Britain. What a pleasure to meet you. Yeah. Good Lord.

Likewise. When I saw you at the Tony, I was like, oh my God, that's Kate. I can't believe it. Should I go up there? Should I say hi? And you were so pleasant and so lovely. And it was so. I was pleasant.

I was pleasant. Yeah. But it was so pleasant for me. It was like a lifelong kind of meeting for me. I've always wanted to meet you. I'm such a huge admirer. And Sean, for you, I mean, the Tony's is your happy place. I'm being serious.

Yes. Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, I like theater folk. Sure. Yeah. You're sure people? Yeah, sure folk. Now, listen, I like to start at the very beginning.

And I want to know, boy, here we go. Oh, you bet. You can go to sleep well. Fuck her up. Because I have. I want to know when you're done with this part. No. Or when we're done with the whole kind of process.

I mean, you guys. No, because I don't. What got you started? Yeah, because what's your mom's favorite color? I'm obsessed with you because you're in all like, I know a lot of people say like popcorn movies, you know, and they're not as quote legitimate as, you know, the other movies. And I'm like, yeah, they are. It takes as much effort for you to play Elizabeth the first as it does to be in Lord of the

Rings. I don't think people understand that like. Are you asking her if she if she does work as hard on the popcorn stuff as she does the prestige stuff? Yeah. Yeah. Do I work as hard? Do you work as hard on the on the easy ones as the hard ones to oversimplify it?

But which ones are the easy ones? Well, I guess what I think that's what he's implying is the assumption is that the popcorn parts and films are easier than the like, like your partner, Indiana Jones and the crystal skull. I can't imagine like the accent and the look and the walk and the gate, you know what I mean? It seems like it's just as much work as playing Elizabeth the first. I mean, the only way I can do it, I don't know about you guys, but I always just pretend

that no one's ever going to see it. And usually that's the case. I have the luxury that that's actually true. But I think I think it's more that that thing, Kate, of like, when you do those big movies, those huge movies where, you know, you know, the ones where you kind of you hit your mark and the camera pushes in and you go, we got to move. You know, like, are those is challenging as doing stuff where you get into that real character stuff?

I think so because there's all these tropes that you have to kind of understand. And I have seen, you know, a little bit more, you know, we've had more time over the pandemic, but you kind of got to understand what those tropes are in order to either subvert them or work within them. And so there's a little bit more, I don't know, expectation when you when you do those bigger movies, because you think, well, even if the movie is garbage, they've got enough money to distribute it. And they've got, well, they in the old fashioned sense, pre pandemic, they used to, they've

got enough cinemas to release it. So people are actually going to see this one. So there's a little bit more weight of expectation. It's a little bit like when the curtain goes up. I mean, I had an experience when I was at university. I did this show. It was a climate change musical. Fun.

I'm in. Yeah. It's got singing in the rain. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. Or not. Jesus.

And it was, we had, we had a kind of a dance piece with a whole lot of air conditioners. Really, I wouldn't have said, but after interval, we had, we had three people who came to see it. And after interval, there was just one little old lady in her handbag. And I think the only reason why she remained was cause her mobility scooter had lost its power and she wanted to see it. But you know, like it's, you don't know whether people are going to see it when you're making movies.

Well, let me ask you this. Do you see it? Do you watch your stuff? No. You don't watch your performances. You're one of those. Do you watch, okay. Do you, Jason, watch your stuff?

I do, and it is mostly for a learning experience for me. Of course it is. Well, but you, I mean, it does. Not to see how the lighting is. It does settle me. You know, whether you need to have a little bit, it's completely a learning experience. It's got three things for me. One, it settles me to see myself.

Oh, interesting. Number two, it, it puts me to sleep beautifully, you know, cause my performances are so boring. And then I also learn a lot from it because you, you kind of remember what you were trying for in that scene. And then to see it come across based on how the camera is and what the other actors are doing and the lighting and the music and all that stuff, you get context. And so you can hopefully better calibrate your performance next time you have an opportunity. Cause you see the way it's, it's coming across.

But you, it's, that's, there's so many incredibly talented actors that I respect like you can't believe and they don't watch themselves. It's such a, it's such a learning tool for me. I'm, I'm so surprised and you're so incredibly nuanced and subtle with all of your, your work. I, you, you managed to do all that without having any outside sort of perspective on it. It's all internal. But it's also, it depends who you're working with and you know what the story is. And I think, I think when you're working on a series, you kind of, you're, you're a conduit

of the story. And so you've got to know, okay, is the story being told in this frame? But when you're working with someone like Guillermo del Toro, you have to give over trust. And you think, well, has he got what he needs? He knows what he's doing. I mean, the interesting thing for me, I think. So you adjust from project to project? I think so. I think so. But it's like, oh my God, it's just, it's, it's excruciating.

Well, you wouldn't have the time to watch all your performances because you have, you have so many. I'm so busy. You are, you are in the, in the best way. With where do I start? But Kate has an incredibly packed year coming up, starting with the Pinocchio, with another collaboration with the one and only Guillermo del Toro again. Yes. Yeah.

Correct. No, is this an animated or live action thingy, the Pinocchio? No, no, it's an, it's an animated, I mean, you know, in Guillermo's style. He's going to do an animated film or is doing it. Well, I guess so. That's great. Yeah. I mean, he, you know, he started in the art department. I mean, that's, that's the amazing.

Am I talking too loudly? No, no, no, no. I look like I'm about to working in a drive through. No, your volume control is impeccable. It's impeccable. What? Your listening is not perfect, but. My listening is not great.

It's not. I mean, I don't know. Do you have selective listening? I get accused of that. Are you? Yeah. Yeah. Will is a big violator of that. I am. So you, what you come in with a non sequitur because you just have totally checked out.

He chooses what he hears. It's true. I do. I check out often. I do that. Yeah. Well, we know. Yeah. I want to know though, like, I know you were joking. I've actually have a real question.

Oh, here we go. Okay. Buckle up. Interesting. You know, I've always wanted to ask someone as successful as you in, who works just from gig to gig to gig to gig. It just seems like, and rightfully so. How do you find the time to find a character with so little time in between gigs?

Do you know what I mean? Like for me, it would take a year to come up with, I don't know, Elizabeth, or what's the, what's the other big one that you did that I loved? Just now on, don't look up. Titanic. I was amazing in Titanic. When you were on the bow of the ship with Leo. I know, but don't look up.

Don't look up. I turned to Scotty and my husband. I was like, 10 minutes in. I'm like, oh, that's Kate Blanchett. Oh my God. I didn't even, that's what's mind blowing about you, is you can completely embody totally different people. And for me, it would take months just to figure who that person is.

And you just seem, I don't know your process. It's desperation. It's panic. That was honest. You've got to do something. You know, it's, it's, I mean, you guys are probably more better at it, far better at it than me. I mean, I, I get, I think, I don't know what, I mean,

the night before I'm always saying to my husband, it's like, hello, what am I, how do I do this? And he said, you'll be fine. But it's, I don't know. I always, my relationship with the costume designer, because, you know, you, you talk to the director and, but you don't actually get to rehearse. And as you say, Sean, that's like, I'm used to rehearsal.

I am slow, slow, slow. I need those six weeks and those previews to go. That wasn't funny. That didn't work. Okay. We're going to lose this, you know, to, to find out what it means. Cause I don't know what it means for that. Yeah.

Because when you create a character with a walk and a talk and an accident in the hair and the just completely transform yourself, that first day of shooting on a set, you got to be like, well, I hope they like it. I mean, it's got to be so scary. Yeah. So for the listener, you know, usually, you know, traditionally an actor will audition and so the director will be able to see what

their version of this character would look like, how they would do it. And then the director decides, okay, yes, we'll have that and you're hired. And so there's no real mystery about how you're going to do it. Right. In Kate's position, she's offered roles. So the first time the director really gets a chance to see it or the crew or anybody is the day they're actually shooting. So that's the day that decide whether they're going to fire you or not.

Right. Right. So it's, it's, it's potentially really embarrassing for everybody because you could be taking a swing that is well outside. Right. That's the scary point, right? That's the tightrope. And I guess you're saying that first moment is when you get with costume,

when you start to kind of feel like that person, because you're starting to look like you've seen the character being for Jason, that's, you know, usually khakis and a rolled up shirt, right? Because we got to get down to business. I used to give Jason every time on a rest development is character get down to business. He'd start rolling his sleeves. I don't think I've ever had my sleeves down on any part I've ever played.

I don't know what that, I don't know what it is. You must, you have great risks. He does have great risks. He does. He's got a, he's got a beautiful swing. You should see him on the golf course. We'll be right back. And now back to the show.

Kate, when was the last time you actually worked on a film where you had extensive rehearsal process? Yeah. Oh God. I can't even think. I've kind of having one now. I'm about to work with Alfonso Caron. But really it's been, it's been with them.

It's all a, didn't love my accent. But you know, it really is mostly about story and script and all of the rest of the stuff. You have camera tests where you get to pull a few faces and try out your costumes. But then you just got to, I think the only way I can do it is to say, I'm going to do this. And if it's garbage, you tell me.

And so that's the conversation I have with the director. I say, so if this is the wrong direction, I am so happy to change it, but I've got to do something. So because often it's not until you've gone in the wrong direction that you know what the right direction is. But this is often after you've had a conversation with the director about just sort of generally what the tone of it is. Like you're not going to make some huge character swing if the general

tone goal is something more subtle, something more nuanced. Like you get a sense of kind of what version of... Satel? What is this satel? That's what it is. Right, because it's usually pretty clear whether something is going to be either campy or small. You know what the tone is. You got to know what the tone is.

And I mean, often, you know, like I've done things in my, over the years where, you know, because I've got a whole other life going on downstairs. So you've got to try and squeeze that into holiday period or whatever. So I would often come in after people have been shooting for three or four weeks. So if you get to see rushes, that's a, you know, back in the day, then you can get a sense of what everyone's doing and you can try and slide into it.

But still... But still, like when you work on a film like Nightmare Alley, which is a very stylized film that has a very sort of... Very distinctive, yeah, but a very distinctive point of view, stylistically, coming into that, that would be nerve-wracking. Or I don't know, you tell me. Or is it you really know where he's going? You understand what that world is and it gives you parameters that are

easy to work within? Yeah. Well, I mean, the first thing Guillermo did was said, do you want to see the set? And I said, yeah. And I walked onto the set and I went, okay, I don't... This is all here. This is...

I need to match this. Right. And so, you know, that was a... And I remember I was playing Kevin Hepburn years ago with Scorsese directing and he was fantastic. He said, you know, he can be Bond. You know, you're taller than her. You look great.

You don't need to wear it. You can just look like her. I mean, then I'd look like anything like her. So this is fine. And what I realized what he was doing is he was giving me the freedom to do as much or little physical stuff as I needed to. And what he did, though, is he showed me a whole... His girl Friday and a whole lot of screwball comedies.

And what he's trying to do by showing me those films is to say, that's the energy I want. And so what you do physically is up to you. But this is the energy that I need from the film. And he didn't say that, but of course that's the, you know, the direction or the pointers that he's offering me. So Kate, let me ask you this then, please. You've...

This is a Sean question. So forgive me, Sean, for stealing. So don't let you get it out? Yeah. So, oh no, hang on. We have to do a sidebar. Don't let you get it out. Sean, have we gone too far?

Sean, do you feel cut off? Do you feel cut off? Are you not seen and heard? Wait a second. Sean, we love you. Should I be here? No, of course you're here. No, you're okay.

You are part of this. You're the catalyst for this, for us being able to have this moment. Sean, talk to me right now. Look at me. Look at me. Before I kept pretending I couldn't see Sean. But Kate, you have done so many things that are tonally or so different. I don't even just mean comedy or drama.

I just, within the context of actual film and creating characters and stuff, they're so vastly different. Is there any area that you feel like I've never done that and I want to do it or I've never done that and I'm scared to go there? What is the thing that's lurking out there that you think about that you haven't done? Yeah. Honestly, I want to make cheese. Sure.

Thank you, Kate. That was a great interview. Yeah. Send us a sample. I want to stop. I want to stop. As a limited series or? No.

I don't want anyone to feel me. I just want to learn to do something. Totally different. I tried the pottery thing and it was a bit, you know, but I want it. We've got bees and I do want to do something completely away. Right now, literally, I've seen a little bit of a documentary on cheese making. It does look really interesting. Really?

Yeah. You're being a little bit serious, right? I'm being totally serious. We've got cows. Wait, making cheese? And where would that be? Would it be, is it there in Europe or would it be Wisconsin? Wisconsin.

We'll be right back after these messages. Wow, that's a great clip. I don't think anybody's said Wisconsin. No, we're dripping with more disdain than Kate Blanchett. No, it was a question. Who's from Wisconsin? That's the cheese capital of the U.S., isn't it? That's America's cheese heartland.

See, I have so much to learn. Mr. Tracy. Tracy just ripped her radio out of the wall. Tracy just lives in a house made of cheese. Tracy. Okay, so then if you ever do the cheese intensive, please give me a call. I'd like to participate in that. Keep me away from the bees, though.

Bees? Tell me about that. Bees are the thing that's my kryptonite. That will stop everything from me. I cannot be around a bee if I hear a buzz. There was a Dame Peggy Ashcroft was in a... I used to watch a lot of horror when I was a young teen. And Dame Peggy Ashcroft was in a horror movie.

I think it was called The Bees. Yeah. And there was this image at the end where she turned around and she was completely covered in bees. I can't even picture it. I don't even like to picture it. It was amazing. What is it with you and bees?

I think I ran my bike into a beehive at the base of a tree when I was a little kid. You can't even remember it was that traumatic. Why? Was there cocaine in it? Yeah. I thought honey pot, they must mean coke pot. Are you out there with the white hood and pulling the trays out? Excuse me?

I'm not here in Sussex. He and Tina gave me Andrew, my husband and I, these beekeeper outfits. We're not quite there yet. We have Kathy, the beekeeper, who's teaching us. But one day I will go up to the attic and put on the link later suit. Because he's a big bee man. Can I pitch a musical? No, no, hold.

A musical? The bees are in the attic? No. The suits are in the attic. The bees are at the bathroom. Oh, he's not listening now. Hey, can I pitch a musical about beekeeping? Sean, can we get you and Kate on Broadway?

Jason won't come. He won't even see it because the threat of bees is too much. But the two of you on Broadway in a bee musical? Yeah. No one's ever done it before. Can you believe it? No one has ever done it. With an A mark.

With an A mark. Look at that. The reviews write themselves. Listen to you. What would the opening song go like, Sean? Come on, give me five, six, seven, eight. Five, six, seven, eight. We are the bees.

You are the bees' knees. We are the bees. You are the bees' knees. Yes. Oh, great. Great. Great. Kate, when you come in, would you mind when you come in on that buzz, buzz, yeah?

Wait for Sean. OK, Sean, five, six, seven, eight. Seven, eight. All right, now. That's great, guys. Take five, which nobody ever says. No, listen, Kate, you are, like I said, in the opening that I just riffing off the top of my head, your intro, that you are a theater folk like I am.

And do you have, I love funny theater stories. If you have any horrible ones, I'll start. I have one that I haven't said yet, which is I was doing. Thank you. So you have so many. I have thousands. I love them. They're my favorite stories.

I was doing a one-man show on Broadway called An Act of God. I played God. It was a 90-minute monologue. And I'm sitting there, dead center, front row, right in front of me looking at him, eating a giant bag of peanut M&Ms, really loud, just stuffing his face. And he's going, he's going through it like, you know, it's his last meal. And he, he then be in between handfuls, he's slurping on a big gulp. And in my head, as I'm performing, watching it so loud and so distracting, I'm like, can

I get through this? No, I don't think I can. I stopped the show. I looked right at him and I go, sir, you know, this isn't a movie, right? Like, you know, this is the play you're watching. Like I can see you. This isn't a screen. You can reach out and touch me.

This is, this is live. Was this a critic? Was this a critic? No, no. It wasn't a critic. It was Scotty. It was Scotty. What?

No, no. I'm kidding. No, no. It was some random guy. But I loved, and then I already told you the one where I threw up. Sorry, sorry. You threw up on someone on stage? No, no, no.

Somebody threw up in the audience and came back and threw up again. Was it based on your performance or was it something? Absolutely. Absolutely. Kate, any, any halfway entertaining stories like that you got? No. I don't know if they're entertaining. That one, Sean, was very Al Pacino.

Oh, really? I was playing Hedda Garbler once, you know, clearly rooted in the, you know, the 19th century. And there was a, it was kind of a, almost theater in the round. And there was a guy who was on his mobile phone and I kept, it's like, you can see the light. We'd done this thing where we'd blacked all the lights out so we could have an absolute blackout. So there was no safety light.

So it was really dark in the auditorium. And he was on his mobile phone and he think, you know, maybe he's a doctor. He says, you know, all the way you're talking, you think, I've got to burn a manuscript. Good for you. That's sweet. Maybe he's a doctor. Maybe it's an emergency. And then obviously his wife or his, whoever he was with, his girlfriend was next to him

and got really pissed off with him about, you know, he was the only light in the theater apart from this candle lit stage. And she grabbed the phone from him and they were tossing it. I could see it. I was still talking to Judge Brack and my life's about to end and it's been massive. And then the phone in the tussle flew onto the stage and his patient must have called and it was like... No way.

No way. And so this intrusion of the 20th century, 21st century had come onto the, what do we do with it? Please come here. I felt so bad. It's like, I mean, Heta Galbra is not an empathetic character, but I just went, this poor guy, he's going to get divorced. People come to the theater to connect and, you know, and so I picked up the phone and

gave it back to him. But then for the rest of the night, while I was deciding, do I kill myself? Do I not kill myself? Out of the corner of my eye, you know, I just saw the two of them split, you know, like she moves so far away from him and it was, yeah, it was, you should have answered it in here. I should have answered it. They'd see if I was you, I would have.

Hello. Yeah. No. But the other one, the worst one I think that's ever happened to me was, was a matinee. And it was a, you know, 350 seats and, and, you know, there's a lot of hearing aids in the matinee, older and older crowd. And so you hear the people tuning in so that they can hear, which is fair, totally fair enough.

With a two-hander, we don't leave the stage for two hours. And there was a moment where we're having a marital spat and we pause. And in that pause, someone is hearing aid, obviously wasn't turned up high enough. And she turned to her husband and said, ah, darling, they can't act. Oh, God. And he, he just turned to my scene partner and said, um, you could just look at him, do he stop now? Do he stop now?

It's been declared. And she was right. She was totally right. How good would it be to get her, get her a dress and, and mail her your, one of your Oscars would be so great. Or a turd. Or a turd. Or a turd.

Or a turd. Shaped like an Oscar. That's how very Halloween. Yeah. Turd shaped Oscar. Sure. Turd shaped now. Does someone make those?

Or I don't know. Do you know, have a place where you go to get those? Uh, what, what, what about, what about that, that theater to film, the television to all that stuff? What would, ideally would you do one, one play, uh, every five years or one play every two years or something like that? Cause you can't do one every year, right? Cause they, they take so much time.

Well, I did. I did three a year for 10 years. We ran, uh, sort of the de Pacto National Theater in Australia. Is it, you went to NIDA? Is that how you say it? NIDA, the national? Not, yeah, NIDA. Yeah.

Which is, NIDA, NIDA, National Institute of Dramatic Art, which for my sister Tracy in Wisconsin is considered one of the top acting schools in the world. You went there, Mal Gibson, Baz Lerman, Sam Worthington, lots of people. So there's a lot of Wisconsin going down. Yeah. Yeah. Sean's sister lives there.

So, so we use that whenever we want to explain something, Sean just explains it to Tracy, his sister in Wisconsin. Oh, that's the Tracy. Yeah. You did three plays every year for 10 years. Yeah. Good Lord. Yeah.

Wow. But it was, it was, it was the, I mean, that's where, I don't know about you Sean, but that, I love rehearsal rooms. I love it too. I think, I just think they're the best. If I was to die tomorrow, not that I want to die tomorrow, but it would be in a rehearsal room. I don't know.

There's just something so elastic and impolite. Yeah. The world is so polite. Yes. And rehearsal rooms are not, you know. I love a fart joke. And there's, I mean, there's so many great fart jokes that come out of rehearsal rooms. Right.

You should spend more time with Jason. You know. Yeah. That valve of mine. Do you like fart jokes? Well, it's just, you know, with my, my elasticity challenges right now. Well, quite. Yeah.

So now that is something I have not seen you do as much as I would love to see you do, which is just flat out comedy. Right. Yeah. Flat out comedy. No apologies. You have to apologize. No, we wouldn't do comedy.

Well, you know, I mean, some people try to sort of like kind of half do it, but a big broad comedy, I bet you would just, just crush. Do you have any desire for that? Yeah, totally. I mean, that's, that's a space I love on stage, but it's this thing where film can be really. I don't know. I think I struggle with expectation.

And so yours are theirs. Well, both, I guess, you know, that if you go into a room and people expect an outcome, that's what I love about a rehearsal room is that you're going to find out what the thing is. And so you say the thing, the moment you think is funny after three weeks, you go, no, that's not the funny bit. That's the funny bit. Right.

And so that's what I'm slow. I'm really, really slow. And Sean can relate to that, but Kate, if I could give you a piece of advice and I can't believe I'm in a position where I'm giving Kate Blanchett a piece of advice, but I imagine I'm your senior in age. I will say this. Of course. Well, let's not say, of course.

I mean, a lot of people mistake me for a much younger man. What's worked for me a lot is if you, you, you're setting the bar way too high and what you need to do is really start lowering expectation and I'm, listen, I'm, I'm really, I have a rich history of doing that. So if that's the one thing I can import on you is just really start setting the bar lower. You know, like Daniel Day-Lewis said, he's fully retired. Now, what if you just declare a half retirement, just say you're going to bring half talent. So which half of me retires?

Well, just, you're just going to do 50% talent for the rest of your career. And so I've been doing, I've been working on 27%. Don't you dare, don't you dare say that, Kate Blanchett. And we will be right back. All right. Back to the show. Kate, is there like, are there things that you would do, that you do differently on a set now that you've had deserve success over the years that you didn't do when you first

started out? Like, are there certain things? Like throwing coffee at assistants? No, there's certain things you've admired in other actors that you observed that now that maybe you adopt and you that you were afraid to do before, like certain ways of handling yourself or working or anything like that? Well, you know, I think we're in this time, you know, without wanting to get too heavy or whatever.

But I mean, we're all been apart and we haven't even processed what the Me Too movement means for sets and diversity means. And, you know, you think, I don't know about you guys, but I still think I'm kind of 31. Clearly. I mean, I know this is a podcast, so I don't want to disabuse anyone, but I'm not. And so you think, well, like it or not, and it's not a kind of a vanity thing, but you think, well, I've made a certain amount of stuff. So you walk onto a set and you've got an expectation of what that kind of quote unquote career brings

and that you have a responsibility on set to set the tone. Clearly, I should lower that tone, Will. Yes. And maybe that's what I will start to do. But I mean, you do have a responsibility to, you know, cruise. You think about, you know, what Yatsi was doing over the course of the pandemic, I think it was massive, you know, to talk about what crews have been going through and that you as a, forget the story, forget your character, forget your, you know, your fellow Thespians.

You have a responsibility to kind of look after the people that, you know, are working with you. Right. And that's been a big thing for me. Yatsi is the union that represents the crews. A lot of the crews. I think there's a difference now in sort of behavior-wise. We're all, we weren't around at the time when there was what was considered acceptable behavior

would be, now would be outrageous. And certainly, I mentioned this before actually, Jason was a great over 20 years ago teaching me how to behave on set, meaning what is your role and what is expected and how everybody is collaborating in every department with each other so that you don't have that sort of hierarchal approach to it. Yeah. I was, that's what I was kind of asking is there, was there like a director, an actor or somebody that you really kind of was an influence to you about like, oh, you know,

the more I work, I should adopt some of that over there. For instance, for instance, and I've mentioned this before, but for instance, kind of to do that, Sean, is that I remember one time I complained early on, we were doing a rest of development and I said, I kept saying, what time are you wrapping tonight? And Jason looked at me and he said, we got you for the whole day, right? And the implication was we're all here working and we're all here. And I know you want to get on the golf course or whatever the, and I had nothing. By the way, I have nowhere to be ever.

So other than pick up or drop off at school these days, I have nowhere to be, but it is that kind of like, what is that thing? But so yeah, again, going to Sean's question, was there somebody who taught you that, that language? Well, I was, I was an under my very, very first job out of drama school. I was understudying in a Carroll Churchill play at the theater that my husband ended up and I ended up running the city theater company. And I love that.

And this amazing theater actor called Kerry Walker was playing the lead in top girls. And I was understudying one, one part and I came on for my three weeks of playing the role. And I got talking to her and she said, you know, being a lead actress isn't just having, you know, the bulk of the lines, it is actually leading the cast and making sure that everyone is okay and making sure that the room, the tone of the room is one in which everyone can work and that you have to, you have to literally lead the room. And so you set the tone.

And she did this amazing thing, actually, where the director was the first time theater director, because, you know, they often cast, when there's a female writer about a play about women, they always cast a woman because it's like, how would a woman possibly understand a play that where there are no men in it, where there were men in it? Because it's so weird. But anyway, we won't go there. But she was saying, Kerry did this, was the actress Kerry Walker, she did this thing where she was, she was constantly moving a script around.

And I talked to her about that. I said, you know, the director was really concerned about that, that you didn't, you know, know what you're doing. And she said, of course I know what I was doing. But there were three actresses who had never been in this company before. And so I had to act like an idiot, so that they felt like, oh, I can act like an idiot. You know, so you create a situation where it's like, you feel like, oh, I can act like an idiot.

And you fuck up, you make mistakes so that other people can make mistakes so that we all forget about it. And then therefore, people surprise each other. Because if you create an environment where everyone has to do their best work, it's like, you know, it's like closed sphincter and nothing happens. Yeah, you lead, you sort of lead by modeling. And I like Jason, again, always did that and he shows up every day, you know, very puffy and puffy eyes and he lets everybody feel that it's okay to show up as you are.

Exactly. We've all got puffy eyes. Where did that, it seems like you are very comfortable in the best way of leading and setting example and tone and holding responsibility and you seem to be comfortable with success. Did that, were one or both of your parents super supportive of you as a child and gave you an early sense of leadership? Or is it something that you found? People with success, I know I've clearly led you down the wrong path.

You're not comfortable with success, I don't mind. No. But no, my father was an appetizing and my mom was a teacher. Yeah. Well, then I'll change the question. Was it comfortable for you as you started to realize I'm really going to make something of this acting thing and people are liking what I'm doing and I'm getting bigger and bigger stuff and gathering more fame, more influence, more access, relevance, I mean,

all of that stuff can be burdensome to someone who's not comfortable with success. How was it for you? Yeah, I think it's, well, I don't know, I mean, you guys would know more than me. I mean, my husband said to me, and he is so supportive, but when Shawnee mentioned I played Queen Elizabeth, that happened and I was looking dog years. I was over the hill by the time I made a movie, I was 25, you know, and so, you know, my husband said, it's great that this is happening now. You've got five years, you know that.

And then it's okay, you can go back to the theater. And so I've always, that's what I've always said to myself is like, you know, I'll take it when it comes. And then I've got this other thing that I love, which is, you know, my real job is waiting for me. That you're also really, really good at. And actually this, Sean, this question is for you. Hearing Kate talk, and because I want to hear Kate, your input, well, it's two parts.

Kate, what was that experience like? And you sort of speak very reverentially about this experience of working in the theater and running the theater when you did it in Sydney. Sean, what was that like? And could you, like, would that be your dream, Sean? When she mentioned running the theater, you like lit up. Would you like to know? No, I just think it's cool that they, when you own a theater, you run a theater or something.

I just think that's really great to give back like that because I, one of my first, the first place I ever felt safe to be me and included in all of those things that a human needs as a child was the theater. Was that Sonic? Yeah, totally. I would cut class. What'd you say, Will? Was it Sonic?

Was it Sonic? Was it the drive-thru at Sonic? Getting a burn. Sorry. Drive-thru. Understood and undercut. Yeah. That's what friendship's all about.

Yeah. But yeah, it's my love language. This is my love language. That's a lie. In the line of Sonic. No. But thanks for asking, Will. Yeah.

No, I think that that's, I would cut class in high school and just go sit in the theater because it was so quiet and peaceful and the smell and then all the memories of all the friends that I made there through the safe space where you could fail and everybody would laugh and cheer you on to just keep trying it again. Yeah. And that's kind of, Kate, you actually said you're talking in a little bit of a different way. It seems like that the theater, that experience is your safe place or your happy place in

a way. You keep saying like, I'll go back. If everything else falls apart, I'll go back to that. Is it your safe space? Yeah. Well, I mean, I think that's what I loved about Nightmare Alley is it's like I always think about the theater as being circus. It's like all the people I made, theater with high school, I'm still friends with.

Same. Yeah. And at university because it's at that point when you were an adolescent where you go, I don't know. I don't know what these things that are growing on my chest are. It's really weird. You know, it's like, I mean, you probably, none of you had that problem, but, you know, it's not a problem.

I have a lot of sugar or salt, I will get thirsty anyway. Yeah, you may. Or, you know, if you eat chicken that's not organic, I had an active friend of mine who came to me, he was playing Hamlet and he said, I'm crying breasts. Yeah. I said, what? He said, I'm crying breasts and I said, he said, I've been eating a lot of chicken lately. And so he was really worried because he's playing Hamlet.

Jason eats chopped chicken. Wait, I eat chicken all the time. Could that be? But it needs to be with all those hormones that the chickens are pumped with. Yeah. It can have. But what about if I eat the leg or the thigh? If I stop eating the chicken breasts, will that...

No, it's nothing to do with it. If you eat the body part of the animal, you don't grow that body part. It's... That was like the question of a thigh all day. Well, I lob it up, you know, I'm not afraid to set someone up for a nice, easy one. Can I ask about acting and the draw? But like, because we're all actors here and not to get into a big actor thingy, but I really enjoy the part about acting.

I'll go first saying that I like to kind of explore the different areas of myself by which characters that I'm playing. Is that something? Is it an internal exploration for you or is the draw of it, the exciting part of it more about playing people that are completely different than you and morphing into a completely different person? Or do you like checking out the boundaries of your own eccentricities? Yeah.

See, Jason, you're really interesting. I am. This is what I try to tell these guys. Mission accomplished for him. He did say he likes to investigate the different area singular of himself. Go ahead. Sorry, Kate. We have the armpit.

No, I mean, I couldn't be less interested in myself. So it's always the... I don't know, it's kind of like social anthropology, but you get to be a little bit mathogram about it and you have to make it physical. I had my time over. I would work with Pina Bausch or I'd be a buto dancer or it's the physicalization of all of that stuff that I just completely get to work. I couldn't...

I talked about myself or investigating my armpits. I mean, really. So you're like morphing into a completely different person, yeah? Yeah. Well, it's just someone else's experience. And look, I don't know about you, but I mean, there's any parallel or intersection between you and the character. It's going to sit there.

And you can't escape yourself, particularly as one gets older, you do calcify a little bit as a human, which is unfortunate, but it becomes... I remember Cindy Sherman saying she went digital relatively recently in her body of work. And everyone was like, oh, my God, how can Cindy Sherman possibly go digital and was all about her doing in-camera transformations. And she said, well, I got to the point where I was a less plastic object. I couldn't... And so I needed to keep playing with the form and you have to find that way as you get older

to, I don't know, escape yourself. Yeah. But like Bob Dylan, when he went electric at the Newport Jazz Festival and everybody freaked out, and he didn't stop being Bob Dylan. He just started being a different version of Bob Dylan because he was sick too. And you know what I noticed, Kate, that I like... That I played Bob Dylan. Yeah.

That's crazy. You played Bob Dylan. I played Bob Dylan. Yeah. That is crazy. That's so great. Yeah. It's like I'm the go-to person with Bob Dylan.

So Todd Haynes, a while ago, made a film about Bob Dylan and divided him, because obviously he's such a shapeshifter. Sure. I mean, you know, he's one of my all-time heroes. Yeah. But you know... And so he wanted someone... Because that electric period you described is so iconic...

Iconic. ...that he wanted a woman to play it because, you know... Kate, let me ask you a question that these guys will make fun of me for asking any actor that's been blessed with as many years as you've had in this business, but with that experience, with that set time, do you have any desire to direct, to use all that you have absorbed and put it into that leadership position and consequently make the day smoother for everyone on set than perhaps a first-timer with less experience? Well, I have been watching you from afar, Senor, and, you know, what you have been doing

and, you know, the kind of... the journey through acting, producing, to directing. The way she deflects. And you've worked with Joel, wonderful Joel... Oh, God, he's so good. I love that film. What a great job he did with the gift. Yeah. The gift was fantastic.

I love that movie. You were mighty fine in that, too. Thank you, Mrs. And people have asked me before, but my... I think it's a question of taste, too, like, you know, when you work with Guillermo and you work with Anna McKay and you work with Scorsese, they know how to direct. So I have in theatre, I don't know if you have, Sean, but I have in theatre because I understand the process.

Right. And I think I'm just waiting for that undeniable thing, which I think, you know, I understand this completely, but I can't be in it. But I remember talking to Matt Damon about this, you know, who is so smart and has such a rider's brain and a really great director's eye. Yeah, I'd love to see him do it, too. Yeah, exactly. But whether...are you in it?

Because as an actor... I don't know. You've probably found this with Ozark, is that you are inside the thing. So you understand how it needs to be blocked, how the scene needs to be looked at. You understand the character's perspectives because you've lived it. So, therefore, you shouldn't be ashamed of... I'm not saying you are ashamed of that, but it's like... Oh, God.

No, but it's like you... This took a turn, this took a real turn. Yeah, this took the... But anyway... I've got the idea. I've got the idea, Kate, for your film that you're going to direct. And it's going to combine two of the things that we've talked about that you really...that I think you love, which are bees and cheese, and it's called the cheesekeeper.

Okay. And... Yeah. I'm so excited. This Christmas, go on a journey to the heart of Green Bay, Wisconsin. From the people who brought you Tracy. Okay. It's the cheesekeeper.

Kate, we've kept you way too long. Way too long, way too long. God bless you. I'm going to let you go in two seconds. I need to fan out. Oh, my God, Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite books, series. I'm so glad you are in it. You are a staple in my mind forever because of that.

And as a kid, a house with a clock in its walls, I read all of those books as a kid. Me too. Me too. Yes. I loved those books so much. And to see you play Mrs. Zimmerman, who is one of my favorite characters in any kid's book of all time. It was such...it was so incredible to see you up there.

But anyway, thank you for being here. Lots of love to you. Thank you. And thank you for all of your incredible work. Please keep going harder and harder. Don't ever stop. Give us more and more, please. Yes.

Yeah, you're so great, Kate. Thank you so much. Ditto to the three of you. Thank you for saying yes to this. Bye, sweetie. Bye. Bye. Thank you.

Thanks for having me. Bye. I could have asked her five million questions. I don't think you could have come up with five million questions, and I'm gonna be real with you. No, seriously. Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, oh my God, she's amazing in those. I love those movies.

Yeah. How did that all come together, Sean? I mean, do you have some damaging photos on her or something? She's been on my list, top of the list, for a long...since we started this podcast. Did you shame her into this? Yeah. I love her. I think she's amazing.

I think she's... Yeah. I mean... Of course. Like Meryl Streep and her and... We never did get her to talk shit on Bradley. She should have, because that would have been good. Yeah, that would...let's call her back.

When did she work with Bradley? In the film that's out right now that she's promoting you stupid... Oh, that one. Yeah. God damn it, Sean. Sean, we're not cutting that out either. That's staying in. I forgot.

I forgot. I will say, Kate is...I mean, that is a talented, talented person. My word is so good in everything and so diverse. Yeah. I can't... Bye! No. Just out of nowhere.

What the fuck? With all of... Hang on, Jason. I'm so offended by that. Yeah. Jason was about to... He has to go pee. I'm sorry.

I do have to pee. So, what about all those incredible performances that we have all seen that she has been rewarded for and awarded for? She has never seen any of them. Yeah. Isn't that wild? I know. That's wild.

Yeah. She's never seen any of her movies, any of her roles is what I'm taking from her answer. I can't believe that that's 100% true, but it sounds like it could be. I mean, Benjamin Button, Cinderella, Thor, Oceans 8, I mean, she's been in tons of huge movies. I mean... Talented Mr. Ripley, remember that? That's incredible.

Incredible. She's worked with. Unbelievable. I know. Anyway. Incredible guest, Sean. Wow. Well, thanks.

Yeah, Sean. Thank you for that. I'm glad yeah we met. So what's called again? Just click and... Just click below where you get your podcast, you know. Yeah. Then I don't have to.

Bye. Bye. Bye. It's free. Smart. Once. Smart. Once.

Smart. Once. SmartLess is 100% organic and artisanly handcrafted by Michael Grant Terry, Rob Armjalf and Bennett Barbeco. SmartLess.