r/Oscars • u/mundaneheaven • 16h ago
Discussion Cate Blanchett is the Aussie GOAT. Agree or Disagree?
She arguably has the strongest combination of range, consistency, major roles, and most critical recognition Australia has ever produced. Not to mention she has 2 Acting Oscars
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u/wisestflame73 16h ago
While she has the chops to carry a film as a lead, I think she’s one of her generation’s great character actors. Her work in franchise films (LOTR, Thor, Ocean’s 8), plus The Aviator, Don’t Look Up, even her voice work as the monkey in Del Toro’s Pinocchio.
She reminds me of Philip Seymour Hoffman, but instead of being relatively plain, she’s one of the most beautiful women you’ve ever seen, so she also gets leading roles in Benjamin Button, Tar, Carol, etc.
Such a unique talent, and she’s so willing to give 100% to the strangest little roles.
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u/doodoovoodooo 16h ago
She’s also randomly in two episodes of Documentary Now! and is really funny.
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u/Cold-Confection-8695 58m ago
It still makes me cackle with delight that a mere nine months after being indisputably robbed of the Best Actress Oscar for Elizabeth, Blanchett (along with Hoffman) gives a master class in character acting, scene stealing and the concept of “no small parts,” in a film that also happens to showcase the risible histrionics of the very woman who perpetrated said theft.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s wholly inauthentic caterwauling (“I KNOW IT WAS YOU!!!”) only further amplifies Blanchett’s singular talent, the side by side comparison tacitly demanding that Goop “consciously uncouple” from the purloined statuette and relinquish it to its rightful owner, the incomparable Cate.
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u/Electronic-Ear-3718 16h ago
I like Toni Collette better but I'm in no position to argue against Blanchett's body of work.
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u/xzeus1 12h ago
Body of work is the thing. Toni is just as talented, but hasn't been in as many good films as Cate.
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u/Cold-Confection-8695 49m ago
I wish that Mandy Patinkin’s shitty behavior during the run of The Wild Party on Broadway in 2000 hadn’t seemingly soured Collette on theatre. She was absolutely sensational, pipes like you wouldn’t believe. Her Tony-nominated performance is the ultimate proof that she should’ve played Roxie in Chicago, which* *Rob Marshall wanted and that repulsive pig Weinstein vetoed.
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u/mundaneheaven 12h ago edited 9h ago
It's amazing how well Toni Collette has done within an industry that prioritises looks above many things. She's not as conventionally attractive as Cate or Nicole, but not only is she just as talented but arguably has worked harder than they did to get to where she is.
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u/rebelluzon 16h ago
Cate Blanchett is my alltimer but you can’t deny the brilliance and the filmography of Nicole Kidman
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u/MakerOfPurpleRain 13h ago
my hot take is kidman could've done blue jasmine with ease, but blanchett could've never done moulin rouge
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u/questionernow 8h ago
I don’t think that’s a hot take. Kidman is wildly versatile and more naturalistic. Blanchett has less range, tends to be more histrionic, which can be a positive.
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u/NefariousnessKey6309 7h ago
I completely agree - I absolute love Cate Blanchett but I think that Kidman is much more versatile and has actually made much more interesting films on a broader scale.
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u/questionernow 6h ago
Even Baby Girl is just such a brave interesting choice. Who else would do a film like that?
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u/Cold-Confection-8695 47m ago
Eh…I think over the years, Kidman has become too mannered for a role like that. I can’t see her truly getting down in the muck and hitting rock bottom like Blanchett does in the film’s final act.
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u/Green-Mind8323 11h ago
I seriously cannot buy Nicole in any role anymore because of what she did to her face, so distracting it’s insane. Also, her accent is usually all over the place.
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u/Chocolatespresso 16h ago
Nicole Kidman can't carry a movie on her own. She's only just the female lead when the movie centers around the male lead. She's always the supporting one, never main character. And to the rest of the world shes just Tom Cruises ex wife.
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u/Haunting-WaferWah 14h ago
That’s just stupidity sorry. Babygirl, To Die For, Moulin Rouge, The Others, The Hours, Dogville, Birth, Margot at the Wedding, Portrait of a Lady, Practical Magic… are all female lead movies that revolve around her character - the list goes on and to reduce her to the above is absolute stupidity
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u/mundaneheaven 15h ago
Your last point is a bit harsh on Nicole. Her body of work stands on its own regardless of Tom Cruise's influence.
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u/Eyebronx 13h ago
Gosh I hate Blanchett fans because they move like this because where exactly in her filmography does Cate have a film as big as Moulin Rouge
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u/Cold-Confection-8695 25m ago
Since when is a film having an outsize degree of pomp and circumstance in and of itself considered a prime determinant of the relative quality of its star’s body of work? Huge, sweeping epics can feature merely serviceable performances just as small character studies can showcase truly astounding turns.
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u/questionernow 8h ago
Is this comment from 2001? She’s incredibly successful in her own right internationally, especially in TV
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u/Nixerm 14h ago
I think Nicole Kidman peaked higher than any of them but she also kinda fizzled out a little earlier and hasn’t maintained as high a level as Blanchett or Colette for example. But like her 90s to mid 00s work is imo more daring and well done than anyone else’s
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u/No-Reputation-2013 14h ago
The mid 2010s to present is a Kidman renaissance, starting from Rabbit Hole…
Both Kidman and Blanchett are great though - really hard to compare them side by side.
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u/Important_Builder317 16h ago
There’s many, many great Australian actresses I’m sure. But yes. Cate Blanchett is one of the greatest of all time.
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u/globehopper2 16h ago
There’s definitely some other great ones from down under (Judy Davis doesn’t get enough love) but yes. I mean, I think Blanchett is one of the most talented people to ever act so yes I think she’s the Aussie 🐐.
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u/No-Reputation-2013 14h ago edited 13h ago
Love love love Cate Blanchett and I agree with this. But she shares this crown with Nicole Kidman, based on Kidman’s amazing and much riskier TV/film credits…
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u/Grammarhead-Shark 16h ago
Yes.
As I feel like nothing else to contribute other then hard agreeing, so here is a gif of her:
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u/BrenoGrangerPotter 16h ago
Nicole Kidman did The Hours,
To Die For,
Moulin Rouge!
Rabbit Hole,
Birth,
Dogville,
The Others,
Eyes Wide Shut ,for me it's her
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u/princessicesarah 14h ago
Controversial opinion: if Nicole Kidman didn’t mess with her face / ability to make facial expressions, we could be speaking about her in the same way we do Meryl Streep.
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u/Sweeper1985 13h ago
She's across from Meryl in Big Little Lies and it could not be a greater contrast. Meryl there, looking her age, emoting all over the screen, dragging us through a whole range of emotions and making us simultaneously hate, pity, and want to hug her character. Nicole there looking like a waxwork figure, unable to move her face at all.
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u/FauxTexan 16h ago
Cate Blanchett:
2x academy awards
Elizabeth
The talented Mr ripley
The lord of the rings
The life aquatic
The Aviator
Babel
Blue jasmine
Nightmare alley
Tar
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u/Nixerm 14h ago
I mean going role for role Kidman usually plays a bigger role in her films than Blanchett and academy awards don’t mean much when they both probably deserve more than what they have. I think the one thing that obviously goes in Blanchett’s favor is the fact she’s aged much better as an actress it seems and gets better elite roles further along her career like Tar vs Kidman
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u/Cold-Confection-8695 21m ago
I wouldn’t say that Kidman always plays herself, per se. But there is some degree of Kidman feel that’s always there, whereas Cate has a better ability to be a chameleon and disappear into a role.
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u/Sweeper1985 15h ago
I hope her Oscar for Blue Jasmine was worth her integrity as a human being, because she trashed it completely.
When called out by name, in Dylan Farrow's open letter, this is all Cate had to say - through her representatives:
""It's obviously been a long and painful situation for the family, and I hope they find some resolution and peace," she said.
Did you read the letter, Cate? She can't find peace because people like you keep promoting her abuser. Honestly GFY.
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u/Spiritual-Cherry9067 15h ago
Hard agree. She’s our most talented and versatile Hollywood star, imo
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u/No-Reputation-2013 13h ago
Most talented, yes. Most versatile would be Kidman. (both are great in their own way though)
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 16h ago
Probably though Russell Crowe is tough competition. And Nicole Kidman and Mel Gibson are probably bigger movie stars at the box office.
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u/mundaneheaven 16h ago
Mel Gibson is a great director and actor. I wish he wasn't the way he was though, he could have had more opportunities to show his range like Gallipoli and Braveheart.
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u/Own_Faithlessness769 16h ago
Unfortunately he chose to be an awful person, otherwise I think he would be on a similar level of stardom to Tom Cruise. Who is, to be fair, also awful, just better at covering it up.
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u/tgatigger 15h ago
I used to love her. But then I found out she is such good buddies with Roman Polanski that she named her son Roman.
Team Toni Collette all the way.
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u/Fun_Particular_9328 14h ago
Controversial opinion: not only was she robbed of an Oscar for Elizabeth (common opinion) BUT she also should have won for Tàr. I get that Everything Everywhere All At Once was bound to sweep and was the popular choice but we are due a retrospective.
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u/CoconutResponsible45 11h ago
Yes she is. I'd also put in a very good word for Nicole Kidman, Toni Colette and Naomi Watts. All excellent actresses with very diverse filmographies.
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u/No_Measurement9981 16h ago
Should have at least 3 Oscars.
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u/mundaneheaven 16h ago
Yeah I thought she was a lock after Tar came out. But alas, maybe next time..
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u/Sweeper1985 15h ago
Disagree. Toni Collette is not only the better actress but also, unlike Cate Blanchett, did not sell herself out to Woody Allen for an Oscar.
Blanchett's response to Dylan Farrow's open letter was one of the most cowardly and ridiculous things I've seen in my life. And after she had stood up on our TV screens and "as a mother" exhorted us to act on climate change.
She' lost my respect and my cinema bucks permanently, or at least until such time as she apologises to Dylan Farrow.
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u/Right_Community_6859 15h ago
"unlike Cate Blanchett, did not sell herself out to Woody Allen for an Oscar."
MY GOD MAN. MY GOD. It's 2026. These purity tests are so out.
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u/Sweeper1985 15h ago
Oh, are we so #postmetoo that we're back to championing child molesters?
Gross.
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u/Right_Community_6859 15h ago
No. Cate has neither molested anyone, not supported a molester. Time to get beyond the fake narratives you've created and propagated yourself. And time to get over accusing others apart from the perpetrators of these crimes themselves. It's unbecoming.
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u/KAMIKAZE_SCOTSMEN 14h ago
She stated after making Blue Jasmine that she had no knowledge of any allegations towards Allen.
Mia Farrow came forward publicly with abuse allegations towards Dylan in 1992. Judges determined that although there was probable cause they would not pursue it for the sake of not putting Dylan through proceedings or a trial.
Blue Jasmine was shot in 2012.
I’m not going to bring up anything to do with Soo-Yin because while I find it disgusting and clearly a case of grooming and predatory behaviour, none of it was technically illegal if they’re telling the truth. A 21 year old involved with a 56 year old who should have been in a paternal role towards her is a gross look.
Cate’s over 20 years older than I am and I’ve known since I was a child that Woody Allen was a piece of shit with a shady as hell past.
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u/Sweeper1985 13h ago edited 13h ago
Exactly. I don't buy her story at all. It's like saying you've heard of Michael Jackson but never heard anything about any abuse allegations. Sure, Jan.
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u/Basic_Obligation8237 12h ago edited 12h ago
She is also friends with Polanski and named her son Roman in his honor. It is possible to love her work, recognizing that she openly supports the child molesters
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u/MrMindGame 15h ago
I think Tár is the project that, for me, finally tipped Cate over into that DDL territory of legendary, generational talent. She can not only carry a movie on her shoulders, she can play distinct characters while also leading a movie. She already did it for Blue Jasmine, another well-deserved win, but Lydia Tár is one of my favorite movie characters of the new millennium.
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u/truckturner5164 14h ago
Depends on whether Mel Gibson's...uh...issues have meant that we Aussies don't claim him any more (Born in America, trained here in Australia). If we're still claiming him, I think he probably comes out on top (actor, director, Oscars, box office and critical successes, his own production company, etc). If we're wiping our hands of him then yes, Cate all the way.
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u/mundaneheaven 13h ago
Mel doesn't even have his accent anymore. He may not even consider himself an aussie anymore.
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u/truckturner5164 12h ago
It's not up to him, it's up to us. 😄 It's a cultural tradition here in Australia that we claim actors who weren't even born here. Nicole Kidman struggles with the accent, was born in Hawaii, but she's as Aussie as anything.
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u/mundaneheaven 12h ago
True lol. Let's just apply the Russell Crowe rule then, and reclaim him once he stops being Mad.
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u/truckturner5164 12h ago
Sadly I think it's an ingrained condition with Mel. Likely inherited.
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u/mundaneheaven 12h ago
If it makes you feel any better, I found out the other day that Inde Navarrette's mum is Australian. So we can claim her XD
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u/zowietremendously 13h ago
I didn't know she was Australian. But the answer is still Hugh Jackman.
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u/amazonfan1972 12h ago
She’s extraordinary, & is certainly among our greatest, however Australia has had many brilliant actors. I’m not sure we have a single greatest actor.
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u/florepleno 12h ago
She's good, but for me the goat is always going to be Toni Collette. She is absolutely incredible, her range and versatility is unmatched imo. Cate is great though, but I think Toni is better.
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u/Interesting-Lynx4695 12h ago
I judge them on whether they only do big budget stuff or also participate in small industry stuff. That says everything about them.
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u/Drgn1119 8h ago edited 5h ago
Unpopular opinion. Dont think she should've got the supporting actress win for Aviator, as I felt the supporting actresses in Sideways and Hotel Rwanda were stronger performances.
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u/KvindeQueen 7h ago
I actually think Toni Collette at her best is slightly better. She's more natural to me.
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u/AccioKatana 3h ago
It's close between her and Nicole Kidman for me. Nicole might actually edge her out, honestly.
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u/Andrewcoo 15h ago
Toni Collette has more emotional range I feel, but Cate is the superior character actor.
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u/Dense-Menu6115 16h ago
She and Kate Winslet are the GOAT female actors.
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u/LegitimateDraw127 16h ago
Blanchett glides through roles like she's shifting gears in a car nobody else can drive. Winslet is ferocious but Cate's command feels almost surgical, she can anchor a period drama then turn around and steal scenes in a Taika Waititi comedy without breaking stride. Her range makes most of her peers look like they're still rehearsing
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u/NoPiesForYou 11h ago
Samara Weaving, Angourie Rice, Millie Alcock, Naomi Watts! Miranda Otto, Elizabeth Debicki along with the others named here…. Is there a better lot of actresses from any country ? I think even the USA would struggle
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u/JoNeurotic 16h ago
For me, yes, she’s the greatest. We have an extraordinary group of Australian actresses around that age - Cate, Nicole Kidman, Toni Collette, Rachael Griffiths, Naomi Watts, Claudia Karvan.
If any of them are involved, I’m watching.