Cate Blanchett Jokes That 'Human Condoms' Could Be Used as a Safety Measure in Theatres

Cate Blanchett has jokingly suggested some interesting methods of safety to move forward with theatrical productions amidst the health crisis.

"In the short-term it may mean ­plexi-glass between the seats," she told the Daily Mirror, before suggesting, "Human condoms? I've bought shares in condom manufacturing."

On a more serious note, Blanchett thinks it is important that efforts are made to keep theatre alive during this time of crisis.

"What are people going to do with their spare cash? They want to listen to music, they want to go to the theatre, they want to see a film," she said.

Expressing the cultural importance of theatre, Blanchett notes, "They don't just go to the theatre district, they go to the restaurants, they get cabs, so there's a huge multiplying effect."

Read more on the Daily Mirror.

A graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Arts and two-time Academy Award winner (The Aviator, Blue Jasmine), Blanchett is an internationally acclaimed actor, director and producer of work in and for the stage and screen.

She served alongside Andrew Upton as Co-Artistic Director of the Sydney Theatre Company between 2008-2013, during which time she directed David Harrower's Blackbird and Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking and toured internationally in Sydney Theatre Company productions of A Streetcar Named Desire (BAM, Kennedy Centre), directed by Liv Ulman, Uncle Vanya (Kennedy Centre, Lincoln Centre Festival), directed by Tamas Ascher (winning the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Nonresident Production for both performances), Gross und Klein (London, Paris, Vienna, Recklinghausen) and The Maids (Lincoln Centre Festival), both directed by Benedict Andrews.

Her other stage appearances include Plenty (1999), Hedda Gabler (2006), for which she received the Ibsen Centennial Commemoration Award, and Benedict Andrews' epic production of The War of the Roses (2009), in which she played the roles of Richard II and Lady Anne. Other notable productions include Top Girls, Hamlet, The Tempest and Oleanna. Her film roles include Carol, Truth, Cinderella, The Monuments Men, Blue Jasmine, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Hanna, Robin Hood, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I'm Not There, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Good German, Notes on a Scandal, Babel, Little Fish, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Aviator, Coffee and Cigarettes, The Missing, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Veronica Guerin, Heaven, The Shipping News, Charlotte Gray, Bandits, The Gift, The Talented Mr Ripley, Pushing Tin, Elizabeth, Oscar and Lucinda. Additional awards include Four Helpmann Awards for Best Female Actor in a Play (The Maids, Gross und Klein, Uncle Vanya, Hedda Gabler), two Sydney Theatre Awards for Best Actress in a Lead Role (Gross und Klein, A Streetcar Named Desire).

Blanchett is a Six-time Academy Award nominee and also has been awarded Three Best Actress BAFTAs (Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth, The Aviator), 3 AFI Awards for (Little Fish, Thank God He Met Lizzie, Oscar and Lucinda), 3 SAG Awards (Blue Jasmine, The Aviator, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), 3 Golden Globe Awards (Blue Jasmine, Elizabeth, I'm Not There), and the Venice Film Festiva's Volpi Cup for Best Actress (I'm Not There). She also received a Centenary Medal for her service to Australian society through acting and is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR.

She made her Broadway debut in 2017 with The Present, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play, a Drama Desk Award Nomination, and Drama League Award Nomination for the Distinguished Performance Award.