Cate Blanchett has admitted it was "very painful" to be away from her family while she made Tár.
During her Best Actress acceptance speech at the BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday night, the Australian star became emotional as she thanked her family members, who are based in the U.K., for supporting her while she was away in Germany shooting Todd Field's drama.
"To my family, thank you so much for letting me go because this was really, it did take a lot. It took me away from you an enormous a lot. An enormous a lot?! I don't know whatever that means but yes, that was the state I was in," she joked. "So thank you darling (husband Andrew Upton) and thank you to my mum for holding the fort and my four extraordinary children."
Backstage, Blanchett told reporters that it was difficult being away from her husband and their sons Dashiell, Roman and Ignatius while she and their daughter Edith lived in Germany for the shoot.
"My daughter was there in Berlin but I was away from my husband and my other three children for quite a while so it was very painful," she explained.
Onstage at London's Royal Festival Hall, Blanchett admitted the role of fictional composer/conductor Lydia Tár could have been potentially "career-ending", and she told the press backstage that she couldn't let her fear stop her from turning it down.
"The script made rhythmic sense to me so I felt there was a music that was going to be incredibly helpful to unlocking the character, a rhythmic quality to the writing that was really propulsive and dangerous," she shared. "I just thought, if I said no - obviously there was a lot of preparation to do but that was thrilling and galvanising and exciting - the only thing that would have stopped me doing it would have been fear, which is no reason not to do anything."
Blanchett is also nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. The winners will be announced on 12 March.
