Cate Blanchett Trump film tariff comments are making headlines, with the Oscar winner calling the proposal “misguided” and “out of touch with reality.”
Speaking at the National Portrait Gallery in London, the 56-year-old Australian actress made it clear that Trump’s policy doesn’t reflect the reality of how the film industry actually works.
“Hollywood, such as it is, is a chimera,” she said. “The number of times I’ve worked on American terra firma, I could probably count on one hand.”
Trump, now 79, recently announced plans for the controversial tariff, citing national security and economic reasons. The announcement has sent shockwaves through the global entertainment world, raising concerns about how it could affect international collaboration in cinema.
Cate Blanchett, who holds American citizenship but cannot vote in the U.S., lives in the UK with her husband, playwright Andrew Upton. She emphasized that her identity as a creative professional has always transcended borders. “Invariably, you will shoot out of country,” she told the audience. “Queen Elizabeth was played by an Australian (me), directed by a man from Bollywood (Shekhar Kapur), and filmed in the UK. That’s the reality of how films are made.”
She also highlighted the richness of smaller film markets. “The Australian industry, where I come from, is small by scale but culturally rich,” she said. “I’ve thought as much about Chinese and Indian cinema as I have about Hollywood.”
As a UNHCR goodwill ambassador and someone who has worked across cultures and countries, Blanchett believes that international cooperation is not just ideal, it’s essential to the art of film. “If you have the chance to travel and work in other cultures, why wouldn’t you?” she said.
Cate also shared some personal reflections. Despite her success, she admitted acting wasn’t her original dream. “I tried everything I could to stop doing it,” she said. “I came (to the UK) thinking I wanted to go into restoration. I studied economics and fine art and thought I’d get a real job. But I kept performing, eventually, I went to drama school to try and get rid of it. But it still persisted.”
Even now, nerves creep in before every new role. “The night before I start any (role), I always poke my husband awake at about 3.30 or 4am and say, ‘What’s my process? Can you remind me what my process is?’ After 28 years, he just says, ‘You’ll be fine.’”
On fame and criticism, she’s developed perspective. “You learn to develop a thick skin. And you learn very quickly the five people whose uncompromising and often brutal opinions you really seek out. The rest, you tune out the white noise.”
Blanchett’s stance is clear: filmmaking is global, and policies like Trump’s threaten to undo decades of collaboration and cultural exchange.
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