Cate Blanchett urges viewers against “becoming slaves to the serialised form”

Two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett on Saturday passionately defended cinema against the serialised form, ahead of the Goya Awards, Spain’s Oscar equivalent. 

Blanchett, who was slated to receive the Spanish Film Academy’s first-ever International Goya Award said one must not fall into a singular creative model. The ‘Thor: Ragnarok‘ actress said, “We have to be very cautious… that we allow ourselves to think big, ambitious ideas, that we don’t start becoming slaves to the serialised form”, as reported by AFP. 

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Blanchett continued, “Because that has a profound effect on the way we view story, on the way we view character and the way we view cinematic experience”.

Once the coronavirus pandemic changed life two years back, theatrical releases haven’t really managed to bounce back. In contrast, the demand for streaming content – films and shows – has gone up, benefiting a lot of services. 

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Blanchett, who most recently appeared in Netflix’s ‘Don’t Look Up‘, stated that she’s mindful of the fantastic opportunities that streaming platforms provide. She clarified, as per AFP, “But I think it would be negligent in extreme not to examine the consequences of us consuming so much via streaming and not going to the cinema in the last 18 months. Certainly in the creative industries, I think monopolies are disastrous and dangerous.”

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Up next, Blanchett will appear in Pedro Almodovar’s first English language feature, ‘A Manual for Cleaning Women’. The 52-year-old actress spoke of this opportunity, saying, “I’ve known Pedro for 20 years and we’ve been talking about working together for a long time, and finally we’ve found this project… that we’re both passionate about.” She continued that the project would allow her to get closer to Spanish cinema, which had played a considerable influence on Blanchett’s life. 

Later this month, Blanchett is poised to receive the French cinema’s Cesar Award for lifetime achievement. It is the highest honour offered in French cinema.