Cate Blanchett’s Tár preparation

Cate Blanchett impressed director Todd Field with her preparation for Tár.

The 53-year-old actress has been nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of renowned conductor Lydia Tár, who has been accused of sexual abuse, in the psychological drama and Todd revealed how invested Cate was in the movie from the very beginning.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, he said: “The takeaway was coming into contact with one of the great minds, who it was exciting to talk about story with. When she looks at a piece of material, perhaps partly because of her theatrical background, she looks at the whole thing.

“She’s not just focused on Tár. She wants to understand all of it; that was tremendous. Cate literally showed up on the first day of rehearsal and she [knew] the entire script as if it was ‘Hamlet’. I’m not just talking about the dialogue, but also the stage directions … and learned German and how to play Bach on the piano and how to conduct and how to have an American dialect.”

When asked how much guidance he gave Blanchett, Filed joked: “Hmm, how much credit should I take? Are you taping this? She’s very active on the internet.”

He added: “At the end of the day, a director and an actor are people, and they’re talking. They’re trying to be prepared enough but also nimble enough and be at the pitch of perception to be able to make very tiny adjustments with each other. That’s ongoing and it starts early on. She’s a very good dance partner. Let’s put it that way.”