Cate Blanchett first portrayed the character of Nina in Chekhov's 'The Seagull' as a young actress in 1997, during a time when she was in love with Andrew Upton. Reflecting on her initial performance, Blanchett felt challenged to convey heartbreak while experiencing personal happiness. Her portrayal impressed notable figures, including director Jane Campion. Now, nearly three decades later, Blanchett is reprising a role in 'The Seagull' at the Barbican theatre, this time as Irina Arkadina, showcasing complexities of love, ambition, and the existential struggles of Chekhov’s characters.
The original drama sees Chekhov's typically unfulfilled characters become embroiled in a four-way love triangle: Nina is the aspiring actor who falls for Trigorin, a famous writer romantically attached to Arkadina.
Blanchett remembers, 'I’d just met Andrew and was madly in love and thought: How am I going to go out every night and be broken open when I’m so deeply happy?'
Jane Campion reportedly thought Blanchett's portrayal was so utterly perfect and true that she wished Chekhov had been there to see it.
It's so fuelled by perplexed, dissatisfied, annoyed people who do really strange things, but in Chekhov those people really are anchored by love, she states.
Collection
[
|
...
]