I find it excruciating to watch myself. It’s sort of akin to watching your home videos, but doing it in public. There’s always a moment where you feel like you’ve got your pants around your ankles. I guess it’s the desire to become better that keeps one going,” Blanchett says.

Cate Blanchett won awards and acclaim for her portrayals of Queen Elizabeth and Katherine Hepburn. Now, in Robin Hood, she’s putting a different spin on Maid Marion, giving her a dose of strength and determination that’s a long way from a damsel in distress. Blanchett tapped her own reserve of personal fortitude to go head-to-head with co-star Russell Crowe.

“Russell is not always easy,” Blanchett says. “His reputation both as an actor and as an intimidating presence precedes him. But he’s always after making the best possible film. I’m not backward in coming forward, so we had some, shall I say, ‘robust’ conversations. When I’m working, I like to push it right to the edge. I believe if you’re going to do something, you should do it all the way. Don’t take a journey if you know you’re going to be bored. As far as being competitive, I think the only useful competition I’ve had is with myself.”

Except trying to hold her own with the guys.
“The biggest challenge was they expected me to look more gorgeous than my male co-stars, which isn’t easy when you’re doing action stuff. I loved the horse riding, and the moment where Marion gets all chainmailed up and rides off into battle. We had to ride these wild, wild ponies; some of them were really difficult to get on and none of them had saddles. We all galloped off and it was thrilling.”

Parade.com’s Jeanne Wolf found out why Blanchett is worried about giving too much to the ever-inquiring media.

If she could just disappear, like she does in a role.
“Personally, I’d love to turn into a chameleon. I love watching performances that aren’t hampered by all that personal baggage from real life. That’s why I wonder if I’ve exposed too much of Cate Blanchett instead of the women I’ve played. It’s nice to talk about being a mom, my wonderful husband and blah, blah, blah. But at the end of the day I’d rather people focus on my work. I couldn’t be what I call one of those ‘personality performers’ who expect you to see them and not a character on the screen.”

Empire has also released the new international poster for the film, which you can view below and in our gallery!