Cate Blanchett Talks Plastic Surgery, Marriage, And Death

Cate Blanchett, the Academy Award winning actress and star of this holiday season’s film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” turns 40 next May and one thing in her life is for certain — the actress isn’t running to the plastic surgeon any time soon.

“I haven’t done any [plastic surgery], but who knows,” she tells Vanity Fair. “Andrew said he’d divorce me if I did anything. When you’ve had children, your body changes; there’s history to it. I like the evolution of that history; I’m fortunate to be with somebody who likes the evolution of that history. I think it’s important to not eradicate it.”

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As for the results of others’ plastic surgery, Cate isn’t impressed.

“I personally don’t think people look better when they do it; they just look different. You’re certainly not staving off the inevitable. And if you’re doing it out of fear, that fear’s still going to be seen through your eyes. The windows to your soul, they say.”

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Cate’s current film, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” covers the taboo subjects of death and aging. While many would run from these topics, for Cate, it was precisely what attracted her to the role.

“David [Fincher] said, ‘This film is about death,’ and I think it’s great,” she tells the mag. “We’ve enshrined the purity, sanctity, value, and importance of bringing children into the world, yet we don’t discuss death. There used to be an enshrined period where mourning was a necessary part of going through the process of grieving; death wasn’t considered morbid or antisocial. But that’s totally gone. Now we’re all terrified of aging, terrified of death. This film deals with death as a release. I hope it’s a moment of catharsis.”

Cate’s no stranger to death, as she dealt with the loss of her father when he passed away from a heart attack at the age of 40 – the same age she herself is about to turn.

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“It’s hard to compute something so massive. I just sort of rolled with it. You sort of see it from other people’s perspective. I could see that my sister was so young, and I felt it was tragic that she might not remember him. I could see how it affected my brother, who was 11 or 12. I saw what a struggle it was for my mother. I think about my father and how sad it was that he never had grandchildren.”

Dealing with loss, however, has taught her a valuable lesson.

“The presence of death can coexist in life. I just don’t take things for granted. I know that time is very short.”

In the movie, Pitt’s character experiences reverse aging — he starts out as an old man and progressively gets younger, which complicates his relationships — especially the romantic one he forges with Cate’s character.

“If you age with somebody, you go through so many roles—you’re lovers, friends, enemies, colleagues, strangers; you’re brother and sister,” Cate says. “That’s what intimacy is, if you’re with your soulmate. Marriage is a risk; I think it’s a great and glorious risk, as long as you embark on the adventure in the same spirit.”

Marriage is yet another realm of Cate’s life that has been successful. For 11 years, Cate has been married to Andrew Upton, an Australian playwright, screenwriter and director. The couple has three sons — Dashiell, 7, Roman, 4, and last April they had their third son, Ignatius, nicknamed Iggy, although his brothers call him Piglet.

With a new baby, a stage career in Australia, a successful marriage, and a hit movie, Cate believes that success in her career is all about self-discipline.

“Someone might have a germ of talent, but 90 percent of it is discipline and how you practice it, what you do with it,” she says. “Instinct won’t carry you through the entire journey. It’s what you do in the moments between inspiration.”

Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: ‘The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button’ Premiere, Los Angeles
PLAY IT NOW: Cate Blanchett Talks ‘The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button’

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