Cate Blanchett, the iconic actress who won several awards this season with her portrayal of the titular world-renowned composer-conductor Lydia Tár, reacted to the definition of a lesbian icon. She is a strong contender for the 95th Academy Awards, which will be held on March 12, 2023.

In an interview with Attitude Magazine with co-star Nina Hoss, Blanchett laughed and replied when asked about her status as “several LGBTQ media outlets have named you a lesbian icon” for her portrayal in TÁR.

This isn’t the first queer role from the successful actress. Blanchett previously co-starred with Rooney Mara in Todd Haynes’ Carol (2015), which won the Queer Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival. The actress also played a queer teacher in Richard Eyre’s 2006 film Notes on a Scandal.

‘‘Yeah, baby! That’s so nice. Don’t know what it means but it’s nice. Yeah, cool, I’ll take it.’’

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Blanchett stated that director-writer Todd Field was very sensitive about the TÁR characters and said that the film wanted to emphasize a power relationship, not the sexual identities of the characters.

When asked whether the movie is intended to start a GayToo conversation, she replied, “Definitely,” and added:

‘‘The characters are so nuanced. We had a lot of time to discuss their backstory in great detail and to make that manifest in what they did. What I love about the story that Todd wrote and the way he directed it and the way we approached it is their same-sex relationship just was. It’s not the subject matter of the film, nor are the characters’ genders.’’

‘TÁR Could Only Have Been Made Now’

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Blanchett said that the landscape has changed a lot since Carol, and films about same-sex relationships in the mainstream have been rare in the past and that TÁR was made at the right time.

Nina Hoss, who played Sharon Goodnow, the first violinist of the Berlin Philharmonic and the wife of Lydia Tár in the film, said that even when the professions and sexual identities of the characters are removed, TÁR is still full of meaning:

‘‘It’s a meditation on power, but of course the landscape has changed enormously since we made Carol. When we made Carol, there were so few films that were moving over into the mainstream that dealt with same-sex relationships and also picking it apart so it’s not a monolithic experience. I think ‘TÁR’ could only have been made now. It couldn’t have been made and viewed in a mainstream audience 20 years ago.’’

The full interview with Cate Blanchett can be found below.

‘‘I think it’s a conversation to have because we are humans. It’s not your sexuality that necessarily defines what you love. We are flawed.’’

TÁR is available for at-home viewing via digital platforms, including Prime Video, Google Play, and Apple TV.