Cate Blanchett is one of the most accomplished and decorated actors of her generation, having accumulated a whopping eight Academy Award nominations and winning two for The Aviator and Blue Jasmine. Not only that, but she has immense range, shining in everything from historical romances like Carol to dark psychological dramas like Tár to fantasy franchises like The Lord of the Rings. Guy Maddin’s satirical Rumours allows her to show yet a different side as quirky, socially awkward German Chancellor Hilda Ortmann.
French actor Denis Ménochet has had quite an impressive career as well, recently appearing in Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid, Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, and, perhaps most famously, Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. His character Sylvain Broulez, the President of France, often butts heads with Ortmann as they try to one-up each other at the annual G7 Summit — something that becomes problematic when things begin descending into chaos. Will they be able to work together to finish their statement about the global crisis going on? Or will bog bodies and a giant brain prove too much to handle?
Collider got the chance to speak to Blanchett and Ménochet about being inspired by real-life politicians like Angela Merkel, what they love about Guy Maddin’s films, the similarities between Hollywood and politics, and more.
18