What a Gift our Cate Is
Two days ago, Thursday March 9, 2000, my friend and I drove to Savannah, GA to see if we could get onto the set of Cate's new film, "The Gift." I left my house in Mobile, AL around 10:00am on Thursday to pick up my friend in Auburn, AL. Around 4:00pm we left for Savannah, and got there around 10:00pm.
So, I called my friend on the set and he told us to go to the production office downtown and pick up a map to the set. The set was really far out on someones private property. So we got it and he told us what to do when we got on the property. They were filming from 6:00pm to 6:00am Friday morning. Anyway, at midnight we all went to "lunch." Cate, Greg Kinnear and Giovanni Ribisi were the only actors there that night of filming. We saw them coming up from the set to eat and ate with them.
Then around 12:45ish we all went back down to the filming area. My friend Sarah and I stood back a bit because we didnt want to be in the way. At about 1:30 Sam Raimi, the director, came over to us and said "welcome to the set ladies." That was great. About 5 minutes later someone said Mr. Raimi had invited us to come sit with him closer to the actors so we could see them, the monitors he watches, and listen to the dialogue through the headsets. So, when he would yell "cut" Greg would wander around, and Cate stood on the little dock like thing they were filming on. She does this cool thing with her face right before the director says "action." During breaks Cate always came and sat next to us. She sat either right next to me or behind me most of the time. She stayed in character most of the time as a southernor but she kept saying stuff with her cute Australian accent. During a longer break Mr. Raimi, Cate, Giovanni and Greg all came and sat next to each other next to us. They were talking about movies and stuff. Just laughing and having a good time. They seemed to really like each other a lot.
So they continued to film until about 6:45am. After it was over I was walking back up to the tents, trailers, cars, etc. and i heard Cate, Greg, and another woman right behind me. So I just turned around and said "thank you so much for letting us stay and watch that." Greg said "its my pleasure." Cate smiled and they both said they hope i liked it. and i said it was the greatest thing I've ever done. They smiled and walked towards their trailers, and Sarah and me towards our car.
It was really sad having to leave them, even though I was just there watching. I learned so much and it was the greatest night of my entire life. I've been to cool things that some people never get to go to: SNL, Letterman, tons of Broadway shows, etc. but NOTHING has ever compared to that night, and nothing ever will. I just wish I could thank them all for completely changing my life.
Oh and Cate looks BEAUTIFUL on screen, but off-screen she is BREATHTAKING. We talked about how she is, seriously, the most beautiful woman we had ever seen. When she was on screen some people around the monitors kinda gasped because her face is so breathtaking. She is gorgeous. :) Greg is really really hot, and a great guy and actor for those of you who like him also.
Katie
March 11, 2000.
Plenty to Smile About
In the words of the poet Keats, “a thing of beauty is a joy forever”. To me, this quote sums up actress Cate Blanchett through and through. Not only does it describe her physical beauty, but the beauty of her brilliant acting and of her illuminating presence as well.
On a recent trip to London, I had the honor and privilege of witnessing Ms. Blanchett in her very last performance of a 5-month run as Susan Traherne in David Hare’s play Plenty at the Albery Theatre. Let me just backtrack for a moment by saying that I almost did not get the chance to see her perform live on stage. I had tickets for the show my first evening in London. All excited and dressed to kill, I arrived at the theatre only to find a notice posted on the door which read, “Due to the indisposition of Ms. Cate Blanchett, the role of Susan Traherne will be played by...”. A slight nervous breakdown later, teary-eyed and heartbroken, I realized that unlike Broadway, one can exchange tickets in London’s West End. (Thank you, God!) This was Cate Blanchett’s last week of an extended run and we learned that she had somehow damaged a disk in her back and it was not known at that time if she would be able to return to the show. Well, I now believe in miracles. Thankfully, Cate did get better and was able to perform the last two performances of her run. And what a performance it was! First of all, I was sitting in the center stall, second row. That was incredible in itself. Not to mention, actor Michael York was sitting four rows behind me. But when that curtain went up and revealed Cate Blanchett sitting on a box in the middle of a nearly empty, dimly lit set, smoking a cigarette, and not saying a word for several moments, you could hear a pin drop and actually feel the electricity in the air. I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning and there, in full view, was the one present I had asked Santa Claus for. And that was just the beginning.
The play maps out the life of Susan Traherne, a simple yet complex character, whose struggle we see develop from the outbreak of World War II and spanning through to the 1960’s. Her character is mentally unstable and unable to escape the fantasy of her wartime memories. Ms. Blanchett’s transformation of character, from the tiniest of gestures to a quirky glance of the eye to a total mental breakdown, was true perfection and literally took my breath away. Her performance filled the air like an autumn mist, refreshing and invigorating, yet chilling and biting to the bone. She is, without a doubt, acting at its finest. She has a unique way of becoming a part of you and bringing you up on stage with her allowing you, the audience member, to feel every emotion, cry every tear, feel the anguish, the pain, the love. When the final performance ended and Cate came out for her curtain call, the applause was thunderous and deservedly so. Cate was smiling and crying at the same time and
you could see in her face that it was difficult for her to let go of something so precious and so dear to her heart.
Anxiously, I departed the theatre and made my way around the back to the stage door in hopes of catching a glimpse of the “real” Cate. I say “anxiously” because the night before I learned that Cate had left the theatre through the front doors to avoid the back stage crowd because her back was still bothering her and also she was meeting her friend, actor Geoffrey Rush, who had been in the audience that evening. At this point, the anticipation of the fans was tremendous and what seemed like an eternity was actually about 45 minutes. But it was definitely worth the wait (and then some) as I saw her head peer out of the door. First of all, I have to say that she is strikingly beautiful in a very innocent sort of way. Her face is flawless and very chiseled. Her overall appearance is very statuesque, yet very fragile very much like a Michelangelo sculpture. You could tell, however, that she was somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of people waiting to see her. The bad thing was that the majority of the people were not at all considerate of her as a person and began crowding her, almost storming her. Arms were waving, people screaming, cameras flashing, people trying to grab at her while everyone was pushing each other aggressively in order to get closer. At that point, I remember shouting, “could you please give her some room?” No one gave her the room, but I did get some interesting looks. I was actually frightened by the pushing and shoving, so I can imagine how she must have felt. Thankfully, it subsided somewhat and I was lucky enough to be standing quite close to her. Despite the ignorance of some of the people, she was very accommodating, gracious and sweet. She signed everyone’s program and responded to people’s questions and comments with a smile. My autographed program, my beautiful photos and her personal comments to me will always be greatly treasured and the entire evening from beginning to end is a memory that will never fade.
If you think Cate Blanchett’s performance in Elizabeth was brilliant, multiply that by 2000+ and just imagine what it is like to watch her perform live on stage. There are no words to describe the brilliance of Cate Blanchett’s talent. But let me say this, in a world of movie stars, celebrities and “so-called” actors, Cate Blanchett is a glimmer of hope to all who admire, respect and take pride in the art of acting. For Cate Blanchett acts from her heart and from her soul and allows the vulnerability of being human to show through into her characters. She is truly a tribute to those “greats” who have tread this path before her and a real mentor for those who will follow in years to come.
I, for one, cannot wait for her upcoming films, and if anyone hears of any rumors about another stage performance, please post it on the webpage. It’s definitely worth the trip. As author Edith Wharton once said, “there are two ways of spreading light—to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it”. Cate Blanchett is both.
Susie Lawler
Boston, Massachusetts
October 4, 1999