Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett was moved to tears when she received a special video message from actor George Clooney while accepting the prestigious Donostia Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival recently.
In his video, Clooney lauded Blanchett as part of a “unique legacy” of actors who elevate acting to an art form, equating her with all-time greats like Marlon Brando, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Jack Nicholson and fellow Donostia Award recipients Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro.
“I want to say that there’s acting as a profession, and then there’s acting as an art, and we recognise that art… I’ve been lucky enough to direct you and to act with you, and you always make everyone around you feel lucky that we get a chance to work with someone who is so gifted and kind, and I’m proud to call you a friend,” Clooney said in the video, which was played on stage after Blanchett accepted her award from her Disclaimer director Alfonso Cuarón.
“I wish I was there,” the Wolfs star, who directed Blanchett in The Monuments Men and acted alongside her in Ocean’s 8, continued. “I can’t be there because I’m in Venice right now and I’m drinking,” he said jokingly, prompting the audience to burst into laughter. “But if I were wearing pants, and I wasn’t drinking, and I wasn’t in Venice, I would be there. I would raise a glass and toast you on this terrific award. Congratulations,” he signed off, leaving Blanchett teary-eyed.
In her acceptance speech, the Borderlands actress said, “As an Australian working abroad, I’ve had the great privilege of transcending many bodies. And my work has taken me to central Asia, to Europe, the Americas, to China, it has taken me all over the world and here now in Basque country, at this extraordinarily vibrant festival that itself transcends borders — cultural, regional and international — it feels like a real homecoming. I’m so very honored to receive this award. Thank you San Sebastian. Thank you.”
Blanchett went on to point out what she believes is a matter of concern among artists at the moment. “It’s bewildering to me that there seems to be a lot of certainty, a lot of righteousness and a lack of doubt in the world, when, in fact, the world is a deeply uncertain place and to live a creative life, it’s fuelled with uncertainty and doubt. It’s the DNA of how you begin any project. You have to humble yourself and say, ‘I don’t know. I’m here to find out.’ I worry that we’re finding answers too quickly, and it’s this uncertainty, I think, that drives me on,” she said.
Blanchett boasts more than 200 acknowledgements and awards including two Oscars, two Volpi Cups from the Venice Festival, four BAFTA awards, four Golden Globes, the Honorary César and the International Goya garnered over a career spanning more than three decades.
The award ceremony was followed by the screening of Blanchett’s upcoming film Rumours, helmed by Guy Maddin, Galen Johnson and Evan Johnson.
