The long-gestating Borderlands movie features an impressive all-star cast including Jack Black and Kevin Hart, but the biggest surprise was Cate Blanchett in the lead role. How did that happen?
During an interview for Empireactress, who’s starred in everything over the years (including The Lord of the Rings and Marvel), revealed what really made her interested in Eli Roth’s Borderlands book, and the answer is a bit surprising.
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“The crazy requests are usually things that I’m drawn to; things that I could never have imagined myself doing,” she explained, potentially explaining why she took on lighter roles like Hela in Thor: Ragnarok or Florence Zimmerman in The House with a Clock in Its Walls. She continued, “I think there might have been a little bit of COVID madness — I was spending a lot of time in the garden, using a chainsaw a little too freely. My husband said, ‘This movie could save your life.’” Her response is both hilarious and intriguing, and you have to wonder how much the COVID lockdowns and subsequent Hollywood slowdown have really affected her.
Money definitely helps in these cases, especially when studios are hoping to launch a recent film franchise and need eyes for their projects, but Blanchett is a veteran and someone whose winning streak on the huge screen has never ended. Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi once revealed the main reason she took on the role of the titular character’s older sister was because she thought her kids would like it: “She really wanted to do something that would make her kids think she was cool… I did stuff for that reason too.” Borderlands is a much more adult affair, though, despite its colorful nature, so we suspect she just wanted to get out of her comfort zone again.
Her preparation for the role included a deep dive into all things Borderlands, though we don’t think she played the entire series: “My thumbs can barely control my phone, but I bought a PS5 and we played together… I wanted to explore the limitations of the game and what fans loved about the character. I really got sucked into that whole world. Cosplayers. YouTube makeup tutorials.” Who knows, maybe you matched online with Lilith Blanchett and didn’t know it was her.
Borderlands, which went through multiple reshoots — starring Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate’s Tim Miller — before hitting the huge screen, will finally arrive on August 9, 2024. Are you hopeful or bracing for the worst?