Cate Blanchett: I mean it when I say I'm giving up acting

Cate Blanchett has said she is "giving up" acting less than two weeks after completing her run in The Seagull at the Barbican.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Blanchett said she was hesitant to introduce herself as an "actress", adding: "It’s because I’m giving up."

She continued: “My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting... There are a lot of things I want to do with my life".

Blanchett also said she did not identify with her status as a "celebrity" actor and was not keen on interviews.

“I’ve always felt like I’m on the periphery of things, so I’m always surprised when I belong anywhere," she remarked.

"I go with curiosity into whatever environment that I’m in, not expecting to be accepted or welcomed. I’ve spent a lifetime getting comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable."

Her comments come during a busy time for the actor, following the premiere of thriller Black Bag in which she stars opposite Michael Fassbender, and ahead of further films including Alpha Gang and The Champions, as well as her first significant radio play, an adaptation of Wallace Shawn’s The Fever.

Blanchett’s turn opposite Tom Burke in The Seagull marked her return to a London stage for the first time since the 2019 National Theatre production of Martin Crimp’s When We Have Sufficiently Tortured Each Other. The day after The Seagull closed at the Barbican, she appeared at the Olivier Awards as a presenter.

The former co-artistic director of Sydney Theatre Company told the Radio Times the stage is one of the only spaces where she feels "truly present".

"Theatre lives or dies based on your connection to the audience and listening to how they’re responding and trying to bring them with you, and also your connection with the ensemble that you’re working with," she said.

"That listening is so intense. I have to really focus on bringing the same quality of listening into my life."