# In 2006, Cate Blanchett already had an Oscar. Alejandro G Iñárritu still tore into her “shit” performance

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-2006-cate-blanchett-already-had-an-oscar-alejandro-g-inarritu-still-tore-into-her-shit-performance/
- Published: 2026-10-27T15:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T05:43:14+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-2006-cate-blanchett-already-had-an-oscar-alejandro-g-inarritu-still-tore-into-her-shit-performance/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- Iñárritu sharply criticised Blanchett’s first Babel scene.
- Blanchett said she channelled the criticism into her performance.
- Babel earned seven Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe.

## Summary

During the first day of filming Babel in 2006, director Alejandro G Iñárritu told Cate Blanchett that a scene she had shot with Brad Pitt was “shit” and that the film depended on it working. Blanchett, already an Oscar winner, later described the blunt criticism as a form of direction and said she used it to drive her performance.

She was dealing with a distressing incident involving one of her children at the time, but did not blame Iñárritu for her reaction. Babel went on to earn seven Oscar nominations and win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture, while making more than $100 million in profit, according to the article. Blanchett also earned an Oscar nomination that year for Notes on a Scandal and appeared in The Good German.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.