Whether it is about winning the first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in The Aviator or being nominated for Best Actress in the role of Queen Elizabeth (twice), Cate Blanchett has nailed every role she has ever got her hands on. She has starred in a lot of movies, and no matter how the movie performs, she has always been appreciated for her acting skills.
Blanchett has proved herself now and then, irrespective of the genre of the film. She has played supporting characters and titular roles, been in action movies and romantic encounters, and she has shined in all of them.
10 Katherine Hepburn — 'The Aviator' (2004)
Based on Charles Higham’s non-fiction book, Howard Hughes: The Secret Life, the biographical drama movie had a stellar cast. Among the stellar cast was Blanchett, who got her first Oscar here for Best Supporting Actress.
Blanchett played the role of Katherine Hepburn beside Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred as Howard Hughes. Post her amazing and quirky portrayal of Hepburn, Blanchett became the only actress to win an Oscar for portraying a former Oscar winner.
9 Hela — Thor: Ragnarök (2017)
Marvel Cinematic Universe is known to have a powerful cast, especially when it comes to the franchise’s antagonist characters. One such character was Thor: Ragnarök’s Hela (Blanchett), Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) sister, who is no less than a nightmare for him and Asgard.
Though Hela’s character was different from the comics as she played Thor’s half-sister and not Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) daughter, Blanchett completely nailed her role from the moment she appeared on the screen with her ferocious looks, especially when she caught Mjolnir mid-air and crushed it.
8 Galadriel — 'The Lord of the Rings' (2001-2003)
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Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings is one of the most legendary fantasy film series. No matter how you watch the three films, whether as a single storyline or as three different movies, you will not be able to take your eyes off the phenomenal cast and cinematography.
Blanchett is one of the most powerful members of the film cast who combines her beauty and strength to play the role of the mightiest elf in Middle Earth, Galadriel. After the immense success of Galadriel, Blanchett reprised her role in the prequel series, The Hobbit.
7 Queen Elizabeth — 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' (2007)
Many actresses have tried to fill in the shoes of Queen Elizabeth over time, but nobody has ever been able to play it and live it like Blanchett. Unsurprisingly, she was nominated for an Oscar for that same role after a decade of playing it for the first time in 1998.
The role was emotionally charged, following the highs and lows of the legendary monarch. Though Blanchett did not win the Oscar, she ensured the audience knew there could never be a better portrayal of Queen Elizabeth.
6 Daisy — 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (2008)
David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an out-of-the-box romantic movie. The movie brings in no other than Brad Pitt as the titular character, Benjamin Button, who becomes younger and younger as the years pass. The actor falls in love with a young dancer, Daisy (Blanchett), who becomes the most significant part of his life.
Blanchett plays the role of a dancer with utmost grace and smoothness. Though the movie revolves around Button, Daisy plays a significant role as she grows old and recovers from an accident. The movie is a tragic love story that begins with romance and becomes dark as it progresses.
5 All Roles — 'Manifesto' (2015)
Not one, not two, but Cate Blanchett played 13 characters in the Manifesto. If someone wants to understand what Blanchett can do with her acting, then Manifesto is a must-watch. The actress performed 13 different monologues, all focusing on an artist's role in society.
Blanchett completely transformed herself for all the different roles while they recited manifestos. The 13 characters were poles apart from each other and included a conservative mother, a scientist, a factory worker, a tattooed punk, and a homeless man.
4 Notes On a Scandal (2006)
Notes On a Scandal is an unmissable psychological thriller that not only has Cate Blanchett’s phenomenal acting but Judi Dench's too. The movie revolves around inappropriate relationships that grow more complicated with time, and the film becomes intense when a scandal occurs.
In the movie, Blanchett plays an art teacher who grooms a 15-year-old student, while Dench’s Barbara Covett is an old history teacher who blackmails Sheba for her involvement with him. The two teachers are always after each other and wait for the right moment to take the other down.
3 'Carol' (2015)
Todd Hayne’s Carol is a movie set in the 1950s and is considered one of the finest LGBTQ+ films of that decade. The movie revolves around a love story between a divorced woman, Carol Aird (Blanchett), and a young female photographer she meets, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara).
The movie is a rollercoaster of emotions between the two women. The outstanding acting of the two lovers and the 1950s premise showcases their heart-rending relationship making the movie intense and devastating.
2 'Tár' (2022)
Considered one of the finest movies of 2022, Tár featured a role tailored explicitly for Cate Blanchett. The director, Todd Field, said that he had written the role of Lydia Tár with Blanchett in mind, and if she had turned it down, the film would have never existed.
The actress played the titular, fictional, world-renowned composer in this psychological drama. Blanchett left audiences astounded again over her portrayal of the brilliant but deeply narcissistic and manipulative artist.
1 'Blue Jasmine' (2013)
Blue Jasmine can be considered the most successful movie by director Woody Allen. The direction was nothing short of emotionally rending, compounded by Blanchett's performance as Jasmine Francis. To no surprise, she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her realistic acting.
The movie puts Blanchett in a complicated spot where she moves to a new city with her sister (Sally Hawkins) after her marriage breaks. The actress lives the character to the extent that the audience understands the character and empathizes with her.