Cate Blanchett has defended her film ‘Tar’ after being heavily criticized by renowned conductor Marin Alsop.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Thursday, the actor said she respected Alsop, the “musician’s trailblazer,” but noted that her own opinion of the film differed from that of the conductor – who overwhelmingly Most are negative.
Alsop told the Sunday Times earlier this week that “Tár”, a story about a world-renowned conductor facing allegations of sexually abusing female victims, was “anti-female”.
“I’m offended: I’m offended as a woman, I’m offended as a conductor, I’m offended as a lesbian,” Alsop told the British press, adding that her criticism of female leadership The unfavorable description is particularly dissatisfied.
“To have the opportunity to play a woman in this role, and have her be an abuser — it’s heartbreaking for me,” she said.
Alsop’s name is mentioned in the film – as The Sunday Times pointed out – with some similarities to Blanchett’s character in terms of professional background and lesbian identity.
“Many superficial aspects of Tal seemed to fit in with my own personal life,” she said.
Blanchett, however, responded to Alsop by offering her own interpretation of the film.
“It’s a meditation on power, and power has no gender,” said the actor.
Blanchett said she and “Tar” director Todd Field wanted to spark a lively conversation, and that the circumstances surrounding her character were “completely fictional.”
“I’ve seen a lot of different conductors, but I’ve also seen all kinds of novelists, visual artists and musicians,” Blanchett said. “It’s a very non-literal film.”
The actor said the man playing her character was unable to convey the “corrupt nature” of power “in a subtle way”.
“I think power is a corrupting force no matter what a person’s gender is. I think it affects us all,” she said.
The critically acclaimed film, which earned Blanchett a Golden Globe, is expected to hit the Oscars in March.
need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.
