Melbourne-born Cate Blanchett was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as the Virgin Queen in "Elizabeth". She followed that with turns in "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", "Bandits", and "Charlotte Gray". She will next star as sexy spy Mata Hari in a TV movie by Robert Altman.
"Heaven" is an intense movie. Was it tough to shoot with all that emotion kicking about?
It meant that often things got hysterical. I found myself and [co-star] Giovanni Ribisi just laughing hysterically. I didn't find it particularly pleasant to inhabit Philippa's mind. My husband visited the set and said that it was one of the most intense he'd ever been on.
What attracted you to a character who kills four innocent people and is an ambiguous heroine?
Reading the script [co-written by late Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski], I knew that the characters would have poetic motivations and exist in an almost unearthly atmosphere. So I was intrigued because the characters do the opposite of what you expect them to do.
You have to speak Italian. How did you find that?
I did phonetics at drama school, so I understood the basics. We also worked on the Italian stuff with an Italian director and I would ask him lots of questions. It was the first time that I was really glad to be given line readings. But there were a lot of nationalities on set. I thought the most difficult thing would be that we were shooting in Italy with German caterers, but the food was great!
You have worked with Giovanni before [on "The Gift"]. Was that useful for this movie?
Given how quickly this project got off the ground, it was really helpful that Giovanni and I had a professional intimacy. Especially because the film is about two really different individuals finding a point of communion. It was really useful.
Last year, you gave birth to your first child [a son, Dashiell]. How hard is it balancing your career with motherhood?
I'm incredibly lucky that my profession allows me to be where I choose, really. The baby makes everything OK. After a hard day, the baby makes it all worthwhile.
What can you tell us about your latest role, playing the murdered Irish journalist Veronica Guerin?
I haven't seen the finished product, but I know it's a little different for Jerry Bruckheimer to be involved in a movie with a female protagonist. But it is not just another action movie. I don't think I was involved in any car chases.
