Cate Blanchett, so beloved by this year's San Sebastian Film Festival that she appeared on the event's official poster, received a sentimental video message from fellow actor George Clooney when she received the Donostia Award on Saturday night.
The Australian star, known for her roles in films such as The Aviator, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and, most recently, the Oscar-nominated film TarShe was recognized on the Spanish coast for her achievements in cinema.
“Fucking George!” Blanchett said as she wiped off her mascara after a standing ovation at the Kursaal Theater in San Sebastian. Clooney said in the video: “I mean there's acting as a profession, and then there's acting as an art, and we recognize that art… I've been lucky enough to direct you and act with you, and you always make everyone around you feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with someone who is so gifted and kind, and I'm proud to call you a friend.”
“I wish I was there”, the Wolves star continued. “I can't be there because I'm in Venice right now. I wasn't asked. And I can't be there because I'm in Venice, and I've been drinking. And I don't have any pants on,” he added, prompting laughter from the entire theater.
Blanchett spoke to the crowd after receiving the award from her Disclaimer director Alfonso Cuarón: “As an Australian working abroad, I have had the great privilege of transcending many bodies. And my work has taken me to Central Asia, to Europe, to the Americas, to China, it has taken me all over the world and here now in the Basque Country, to this extraordinarily vibrant festival… I am truly honoured to receive this award. Thank you San Sebastian. Thank you.”
He continued, highlighting what he currently considers a “concern”: “It baffles me that there seems to be so much certainty in the world, so much righteousness and a lack of doubt, when, in fact, the world is a deeply uncertain place and for creative life, it's fueled by uncertainty and doubt. It's the DNA of how you start any project. You have to humble yourself… I worry that we're trying to find answers too quickly, and it's that uncertainty, I think, that keeps me going.”
Blanchett has collected more than 200 awards and honors throughout her long career, including two Academy Awards from six nominations. She has won four BAFTAs and four Golden Globes.
This is his first visit to the event in San Sebastian, Spain, which will be held from September 20 to 28, although the festival has screened several of his films previously, including Babel (2007) and Veronica Guerin (2003). They competed for the top prize, the Golden Shell.
His honor on Saturday night marks the second time an Australian actor has received the festival's highest honorary award after Hugh Jackman in 2013. This year, Spaniards Javier Bardem and Pedro Almodovar, whose film The room next door received a huge 17-minute standing ovation in Venice earlier this month, also picking up the Donostia Awards at the festival.