Cate Blanchett penned a tribute to Giorgio Armani on Vogue. She also spoke to Elle Italia while in Venice for the premiere of FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER and as Armani Beauty Global Brand Ambassador.

“Mr. Armani, the private man leaves a void that is impossible to fill. Not just in the worlds of fashion, art, cinema, theatre, architecture, and design, but in the hearts of millions of people whose lives he influenced.

Ever a man of dualities, he was a Colossus, a King, a Titan—but simultaneously a thoughtful, hands-on craftsman; true, direct and sincere.

The Mr. Armani I had the pleasure to know was deep of heart, loyal, wise, and courageous. I count it as one of the greatest privileges of my life to have been in his orbit.

How will we all keep turning without him?

My heart is with his fashion family and of course with his beloved Roberta, Silvana, Andrea, and Rosanna Armani.”

Cate Blanchett and “the privilege of being part of Mr. Armani’s universe”

Google translated from Italian to English.

You’re currently the face of the new Sì Parfum interpretation, which speaks of a confident femininity that wants to explore everything life has to offer. Do you recognize yourself in this description?
Exploring is the meaning of being alive, and I wouldn’t know how to do it any other way. Come to think of it, perhaps this is what I have in common with Giorgio Armani. He has had so many experiences, beyond the world of design, beauty and luxury, while remaining a curious and committed person. Such a force of nature, with such a hungry approach to life, he can only inspire me.

It has a unique chypre-gourmand-leathery facet rich in contrasts: what emotions does it evoke?
It makes me think of pure sweetness, but a sweetness tempered by darkness. A duality, typical of Armani creations, that makes me really love it. It is not purely gourmand, but also spicy, sensual, deep. With a thousand changing nuances.

Fragrances evolve while remaining true to themselves. Are there aspects of your personality that have changed over time?
I would like to say that I have become wiser, more experienced and even a better artist. But you have to recognise your limitations. Certainly, thanks to my children, I haven’t become stagnant, and I feel part of a flow, like the water surrounding Venice where I am today.

Is there anything you experience with a different sensibility?
Perhaps I appreciate unexpected events much more than before, aside from surprise birthday parties. Those kinds of encounters where someone, with their perspective on the world, leaves you wonderfully taken aback.

If you look around, what do you see?
That the world is in free fall, and we’re trying to cope by recalibrating ourselves to events that defy all logic.

What are the moments when you feel at peace?
When I tend my garden, or go for a walk with my dogs: they’re among the few things that bring me relief lately.

One of your personal mantras?
“The more you do, the less you know.”

Can you tell us something about your film, Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, winner of the Golden Lion at Venice?
I had worked with Jim a long time ago, but then we drifted apart. Reuniting with him and acting with Charlotte Rampling, whom I’ve long admired, and Vicky Krieps, a truly unique actress, was like being reunited with family. Only he could bring us together, truly.

What personal material did you bring to the set?
On set, I found it touching, beautiful, and sweet to play the role of daughter and sister because that’s what I am, even in real life.

At this point, the aspect of family feelings and relationships, the theme of the film, seems much more complicated.
Regarding families in general, observing the individuals who make them up today, it’s harder to understand what binds them. Sometimes it’s history, biology, or sometimes just geography. Relationships can be very fractured, as in the film.

In February 2026, you’ll be playing Count Egmont in Beethoven’s opera of the same name for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Are you interested in playing male roles?
I’ve already played a Bob Dylan version (in Todd Haynes’s 2007 musical-drama I’m Not There), but gender isn’t a priority for me, unless it’s something the character emphasizes. And I don’t think conductor Gustave Dudamel wants to explore the fact that I am a woman playing a man, but rather focus on the universality of being human. By having a female voice narrate a male perspective.

Is there any role from the past that you would play differently today?
This is the agony of those who work in cinema, as opposed to theatre. Everything is hermetically sealed, there’s nothing you can do, you can’t change it, you can’t shape it anymore, whereas in theatre you could get up the next night and overturn what you produced the night before. The truth? I would do everything completely differently.

Last year, in Cannes and Venice, you made a political statement by wearing a dress in the colours of the Palestinian flag. Will you be stepping up your humanitarian efforts today?
The 1951 Geneva Convention is in danger. The fundamental human rights that underpin our civil society are being eroded because they are too costly, or so we are told. It has never been more important to remind ourselves to treat each other with compassion, dignity and respect.

Freedom is under threat today. What role can art play in such a complex area?
My thoughts turn to the data that is fed into the hungry machines of artificial intelligence. Data that comes almost entirely from a male perspective. The challenge is to ensure that the female point of view is also part of this system that is capable of influencing the world.

Last time, you told us you wanted to devote more time to yourself. Have you succeeded?
I don’t know about myself. There are so many things to do, people to meet, conversations to participate in, and projects to be part of. Life is exhausting at times, which is why I take the moments when I slip into the role of gardener very seriously.

Photoshoot

Sources: Vogue, Elle