In her new film Tár, Cate Blanchett plays an orchestra conductor whose successful career is ruined by allegations of sexual abuse. A fictional story with real examples that confronts the viewer with the debate of whether Lydia Tár, the character played by the actress, is a victim of the culture of rejection or an executioner. Beyond her performance, which has made her one of the favorites for the Best Actress Oscar, the Australian has shared her thoughts on the discussion surrounding the feature film. When asked in an interview with Radio Times if it was “right to cancel big artists because of personal phobias,” the 53-year-old interpreter wanted to use the example of painter Pablo Picasso, who has been accused of machismo and abusing women. “You can imagine what happened in, outside and around his studio. But you look at Guernica and you say: is this one of the greatest works of art of all time? Yes it is a fact. I think it’s important to have a healthy critique,” he commented.
Apart from his reflection on the painter from Malaga, Blanchett defended in his speech that the work of talented artists should continue to be studied, even if it is found that they acted in an unacceptable way at the time. “Unless you read old books, which are a bit offensive because they’re in a historical context, then you’re never going to deal with the minds of the time, and we’re going to be destined to repeat those things,” he added .
More information
In addition to offering his opinion on the culture of cancellation, Blanchett has stated that “you have to know when and where” to wield power, referring to the way his character acts. “As a woman, if you don’t wield your power the way we men exercise our power, people think you don’t know what you’re doing, you don’t know what to think. That happens often. You can see that on the set too [de rodaje]fewer and fewer, but with female directors,” he claims.
For her interpretation, as she reveals, she observed orchestra conductors, including the American Marin Alsop, music director of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (Brazil) until 2019, for whom she declares herself “obsessed”. Alsop herself has criticized Todd Field’s film and Blanchett’s role in the British newspaper The Sunday Times, where she said she felt “offended as a woman, as a director and as a lesbian”.
As well as being nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, her role in Tár Blanchett has earned her eighth nomination at the Bafta, the British film awards, which are presented next Sunday 19th February. If he wins it, it would be the fourth such award he has received in his career, having received it for Blue Jasmine (2014), El Aviador (2005) and Elizabeth (1999). Last September, the actress triumphed for her latest work at the Venice Festivals, receiving the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.
Although Field’s film reflects a fictional biography, one doesn’t have to dig too deep to find real-life cases similar to Tár’s, reigniting the debate over whether artists are involved in harassment, sexual abuse, or abuse. This has happened and is happening, for example, with the tenor Plácido Domingo, who was accused of sexual harassment by more than twenty women, which he himself finally admitted in 2020, admitting “total responsibility”. When the results of an investigation into a case of sexual harassment in connection with Domingo became known, several cultural institutions canceled the artist’s exhibitions. In the film industry, actor Kevin Spacey and directors Woody Allen and Roman Polanski have also been involved in similar cases.