Actress Cate Blanchett is featured on the cover of the newest issue of Variety as she promotes her newest film Carol, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this weekend. Carol, the film adaptation of the 1952 novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith (under the pseudonym Claire Morgan), stars Rooney Mara as shop girl Therese who finds herself enchanted with Carol (Blanchett), an older elegant woman Therese serves at work, and the romantic relationship the two women develop.
During her interview, Blanchett offers that she had "many" relationships with women in the past. She has been married to screenwriter and director Andrew Upton since 1997. From Variety:
"When asked if this is her first turn as a lesbian, Blanchett curls her lips into a smile. 'On film — or in real life?' she asks coyly. Pressed for details about whether she’s had past relationships with women, she responds: 'Yes. Many times,' but doesn’t elaborate. Like Carol, who never 'comes out' as a lesbian, Blanchett doesn’t necessarily rely on labels for sexual orientation. 'I never thought about it,' she says of how she envisioned the character. 'I don’t think Carol thought about it.' The actress studied the era by picking up banned erotic novels. 'I read a lot of girl-on-girl books from the period,' she says."
Carol will likely hit theaters in the U.S. this fall. The film is from out director Todd Haynes whose previous works include the cult classic 1999 film Velvet Goldmine which he directed and co-wrote. Carol was adapted by out playwright Phyllis Nagy, produced by out producer Christine Vachon, and stars out actresses Sarah Paulson and Carrie Brownstein.