The long-awaited Borderlands movie boasts an impressive all-star cast, including Jack Black and Kevin Hart, but the biggest surprise is Cate Blanchett in the lead role. How did that happen?
In an interview with Empire magazine, the actress, who has worked in a variety of industries over the years (including Lord of the Rings and Marvel), revealed what she really loved about Eli Roth’s No Man’s Land, and the answer is a bit surprising.
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“These crazy requests are usually what I aspire to; things that I never imagined I could do,” she explains, which might explain why she’s taken on lighter roles, like Hela in Thor: Ragnarok or Florence Zimmermann in Room with a Clock in Your Eyes. “I guess it was also a bit of Covid, too – I spent a lot of time in the garden, a little too casually with the chainsaw,” she continues. “My husband said, ‘This movie could save your life.’” Her answer is both funny and intriguing, and one can’t help but wonder how much the Covid lockdown and subsequent Hollywood recession has affected her.
Money certainly helps in these cases, especially when studios are looking to launch new franchises and need eyes on their projects, but Blanchett is a veteran actor who has had big screen successes in a row. Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has revealed that she took on the role of the eponymous hero’s evil sister mainly because she thought her kids would love it: “She was very passionate about doing something that her kids would think was cool about her… I would do something for that reason, too.” In the case of Borderlands, however, despite its colorfulness, we’re looking at a more adult production, so we guess she’s just looking to step out of her comfort zone again.
Her preparation for the role included diving into all things Borderlands, although we don’t think she’s played the entire series: “My thumbs can barely hold my phone, but I got a PS5 and we played against each other… I wanted to see the limits of the game and what fans loved about the character. I was really immersed in the whole world. Cosplayers. YouTube makeup tutorials.” Who knows, maybe you matched with Blanchett’s Lilith online and didn’t know it was her.
Borderlands went through multiple reshoots before hitting the big screen — with Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate’s Tim Miller — and will finally hit theaters on August 9, 2024. Are you optimistic about this or are you prepared for the worst?
