Cate Blanchett graces W magazine

Australian actress and theatre director Cate Blanchett graces W magazine’s December/January 2015-16 cover. In the interview conducted by Lynn Hirschberg, Cate talks about her role in "Carol", the importance of fashion and costume design in her films, and more below.
On still being surprised by the mild uproar over the casting of "Carol":
“Art is supposed to be a provocation, not an education. In 2015, the point should be: Who cares if I had lesbian relationships or not? Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always thought that my job as an actor was to raise and expand the audience’s sense of the universe.”
On the role of fashion in her films:
“I love working with the costume designers on movies. You can visually represent the character through a dress or a bag or shoes. In Blue Jasmine, clothes illustrated my character’s demise. If I pair a Birkin bag with a knockoff sweater from Wal-Mart that looks like Chanel, I can subtly reveal the character, and I don’t have to play that emotions.”
On wearing a strikingly huge mink coat with a shawl collar that symbolizes her wealth and social status in "Carol":
“The mink was old and it kept falling apart. Between takes, Sandy Powell, the costume designer, would sew it back together by hand. I considered changing coats, but when you find the right thing, you know immediately: That coat was the one to tell Carol’s story. It was perfect.”