While doing promotional interviews for her upcoming film Carol, a lesbian love story, Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett revealed to Variety magazine that she has had “many” past relationships with women.
Blanchett, co-star of the film, was asked if playing the role was her first time to act as a lesbian.
“On film-or in real life?” she responded, before being pressed on if she had ever had a relationship with a woman. “Yes. Many times.”
Carol is an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1950 romance novel which is set in a New York department store.
In the story, an older married woman (Blanchett) who dreams of a better life falls in love with a younger store employee, (played by Rooney Mara).
In order to prepare for the role, Blancett told the magazine she read “a lot of girl-on-girl books from the period” and “talked a lot about erogenous zones” to the production’s costume designer, asking:
“What is the most erotic part of the body?”
“I think there are a lot of people that exist like [Carol] who don’t feel the need to shout things from the rafters,” said the Australian actress.
“It’s not Blue is the Warmest Color,” she added.
Blanchett is married to Andrew Upton, artistic director of Sydney Theater Company, and the couple share four children together.
Variety also asked Blanchett to weigh-in on the hot debate surrounding gender discrimination in Hollywood in which she described as “a critical mass of women who have reached a certain place in the industry,” such as Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, and Nicole Kidman.
“We have to push forward,” she said. “What industry has parity pay for women? None. Why would we expect this industry to be any different?”
Carol premieres at Cannes Film Festival on May 17.