Oscar winner Cate Blanchett — in Cannes for the red-carpet world premiere of her latest movie about a lesbian romance — has opened up about media speculation she has a real-life gay past.
Early reviews of “Carol,” set in New York in the 1950s and directed by Todd Haynes, have been so glowing that the film is already generating Oscar buzz and is a leading contender for the top Cannes prize, the Palme d’Or.
Speaking to the press on Sunday ahead of the premiere, Blanchett found herself forced to deny that she has had any gay experiences herself.
“Have I had sexual relations with women? The answer is no,” Blanchett told reporters at a media conference.
The actress said speculation had sprung from an interview she had given to Variety.
The publication had reported that it asked Blanchett whether she’d had “past relationships with women” and got the response: “Yes. Many times.”
Blanchett added that the part of the interview where she had stated she had had no “sexual relations with women” had been edited out of the article.
However, Variety has subsequently stated that it stands by the original article.
The actor added firmly that “in 2015, the answer [to that sort of question] shouldn’t matter,” noting that “in 70 countries around the world, homosexuality is still illegal.”
Despite some progress, she said, “we’re living in deeply conservative times.”
Wearing an elegant black dress with a partly transparent top, the actor spoke lucidly and with some humor about the movie and her approach to it.
“The wonderful thing is that it has male and female perspectives — it’s not a niche experience,” she said.
A nude love scene generated some “apprehension” for her, but “no more so than in a love scene with a man.”
Reviewers have been nearly unanimous over director Haynes’ “masterful” restraint, which drew the audience along until the end, when a stately yet powerful climax brought tears to the eyes of even hardened film critics.