Cate Blanchett: Motherhood "Toughens You Up" And Turns You Into "Mush"

Cate Blanchett is certainly among the most well-respected and loved actresses of our time, having the pick of the top scripts, as well as hefty list of award nominations and wins under her belt. The 40-year-old is also mom-to-three boys, Dashiell, 8, Roman, 6, and Ignatius, 2 with husband of 12-years Andrew Upton. Blanchett, who said living in an all-male home is “Really loud. So very loud,” sat down with Times Online to talk about how motherhood has changed her and her career.

On motherhood: “It toughens you up and makes you more pragmatic, yet at the same time it turns you into a bowl of mush. You see a child in distress or a puppy waiting to cross the street and you just want to weep. Maybe that mix is good for an actor. I guess the great thing is that it increases your ability to switch on and off. The work is no longer the only thing in your life. Other things count – and count more.”

On planning her films based on her children: “Anyone with children will tell you the same thing. Starting out as single women, our first questions about any job are, ‘What kind of role is it?’ and ‘Who will I be working with?’. But as soon as we have kids, we find ourselves asking, ‘How long’s the shoot?’ and ‘Can it be done in the school holidays?’ Suddenly, your attitude becomes very pragmatic. It has to, because shifting your household to another hemisphere is a major upheaval and there has to be a pretty compelling reason for you to do it.”

For the complete interview with Cate visit Times Online