Better Actress: Tilda Swinton or Cate Blanchett

No one is talking about Stateless (or Blanchett in it. It's primarily an acting vehicle for Yvonne Strahovski, and she got  by far the most plaudits. Many reviews barely spend more than a line on Blanchett's performance. If that is being hyped now as a big deal major work to prop her up, that's ridiculous to me), and as I said a few months back, Mrs America will be pretty much forgotten after this awards season cycle is over. She apparently went from being a GOAT level "undeniable" shoo-in for the Emmy in the eyes of some overenthusiatic backers, to struggling to overcome a woman who already had 3 Emmys and didn't really need another. The most overrated performance of the year by a mile, and it played out exactly as I saw it.

I think Blanchett is actually somewhat past her peak, and her recent work reconfirms that, imho (stale prestige TV efforts, dross like Oceans 8, The House With A Clock In It's Walls, Where'd You Go Bernadette?  Haven't been wowed by her in anything since Carol). She's almost in Russell Crowe territory now, except people actually acknowledge that Crowe, while still pretty good when he wants to be, isn't the force he once was. Mrs America was her The Loudest Voice....a clear stab at the type of "biopic prestige" they were used to in movies that had enough trappings of prestige to get them strong notices (and Crowe's vehicle nabbed him a Golden Globe, so he is one up on her), but really pales in comparison to their better, earlier film work.

Blanchett. A thousand times Blanchett.

Blanchett any day of the week. But it's a great idea for a poll.

Blanchett is already a top 5 actress of all time and with older women getting better parts these days I could see her being second to Streep when her career is over. I find it hard to believe she does not get a third win at some point despite not being nodded the past few years.

Is, as has been mentioned in this thread "Russell Crowe winning a Golden Globe" and not even getting an Emmy nod at all really "one up" on Cate Blanchett who lost the Emmy but actually got that Emmy nomination?

Tilda, but love both.

My favorite actress vs an actress I really appreciate.

I'm sick and tired of Blanchett, Streep, Cotillard, and Hepburn destroying everyone when they're faced off against whomever else, and their fanboys shouting it from the rooftops like we don't get it. Yeah.... we get it, French Revolutionists.

I think Blanchett is the better and more well-rounded actress, but Swinton's the bigger risk-taker. I think both of them won Oscars that don't really display their greatest strengths, though.

Yeah, I don't see Blanchett faring well at all in a role like that. Swinton is remarkable in  that though, I agree. 

Finally, some non-plebs chime in.


Tilda absolutely blows Blanchett out of the water. Here's why:


As a nobleman/royalty, Swinton kicks Blanchett's ass. Tilda's performance in Orlando is much more of an actor's showcase. You can just hand that role to her and give her the reigns and she'll make something out of material that would not have much life without someone as skilled as Tilda. Blanchett's performance in Elizabeth is certainly decent, but that's just it. It's decent. It's nothing special.  Also, you can tell the director had a hand in that performance whereas in Orlando, Tilda was completely in control of her own work.  Emily Watson was the far more impressive in the year, a much more seething performance. It's the type of performance that you can't take your eyes off of. I understand, however that Blanchett was just a newbie in Elizebeth, and she would later become a much stronger actress and lay waste to that promising debut.  So I don't hold that against her.   Or that she wasn't in control of her work.


As a transformative artist, Tilda also wins. Tilda can transform easily. I don't even need to cite examples, but if you think Swinton can't transform, you can't be taken seriously.  It's one of her top strengths.


As for playing against type, Swinton also wins. Blue Jasmine is Blanchett's best performance. It took a high degree of vested interest from a veteran at the top of her art form. I commend Blanchett highly for that performance. But do you think Swinton couldn't have played Blanchett's best performance? LOL. Swinton would've been different, but she would've been at best an equal to Blanchett in Jasmine, and at worst very good. Could Blanchett play Swinton's best performance? Can she do Julia?  LOL at the thought.  The answer is no. People just haven't seen Julia. No way Blanchett can lay a finger on Julia.


Swinton is also known as a transgender icon, so I guarantee she could've played I'm Not There too. In Orlando, she played a man for half of the movie. She was deftly skilled at it.


I will say, however that Blanchett has her strengths. The Man Who Cried is the type of performance that transcends a career. She should play strong women more often, because that aspect came out the best in that movie out of all of her other movies. She is good at strong women, I'll give her that.  She really moved me in that role.  Sadly underevaluated film and performance, but I'm telling you.... it's much better than most of her other kitschy stuff.


Blanchett is also possibly the better entertainer, and can do accents really well. That mess in The Aviator aside. No idea how anyone sees that as anything but caricature.  Swinton won for a performance that was legit at least and didn't make a mockery of herself - even if it's not her best work. Blanchett won for a very weak performance.


Last but not least, Blanchett put me to sleep in Carol. ZZZZZZZZ   That's such old shit at that point, done before stuff. Give me Swinton in I Am Love anyday, much better version of Carol.


Looking at Blanchett's nominations, it's a shocker that she has 7 and Swinton has only 1. Only 1 of Blanchett's nominations are deserved.... Blue Jasmine. I call that bogus.


If it's not obvious enough who I think is the better actress........... This seems too easy. Blanchett might be better than Streep, but she doesn't touch the clearly more varied and haute coutured Swinton.


Also, I trust that Blanchett is a very high IQ person, but I think Swinton's IQ is off the charts.

....... I'm not seeing what stands out about Blanchett.

I get why Hepburn, Bergman, Streep, Ullmann, and Huppert stands out.   There's no one like Hepburn.  Bergman is like the classic legendary star developed into better actress later on.  Streep was one of those "anointed early" types that built various stages to her career, and slowly added credibility.  Kinda like Huppert except Huppert has done much better work after 2002.    Not that Blanchett wasn't anointed early, but.... I don't see her like Streep.

I even see why Kidman stands out.  Kidman is like Bergman.  Star for a decade before becoming a better actress.   I grew up with the image of her naked bootie undressing, scarring my childhood.

But Blanchett... what's her defining characteristic besides awards attention?  

I guess she was part of that early 00s troupe.  The anointed 4 with Watts, Winslet, Blanchett, and Kidman.  Those 4 were THE word-of-the-mouth of the early 00s, and everybody singled those out.  They were the only ones talked about on IMDB in the early 00s with any regularity apart the golden age stars.  But I dunno...... nobody would deny she hasn't had great work in her career, but.... her mass appeal is kinda strange.  She feels like part of the group of Watts and Cotillard and Ronan.  Some crazy fanboys who speak mostly out of love and fanaticism while simultaneously trying to destroy the work of other talents.   But... to me, she's not some distinct entity.  Tilda Swinton is much more distinct, imo.

I get why Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Williams, and Nicole Kidman stand out.  They have pop culture appeal.  I grew up watching 2 of those while they were still sweethearts.  Only reason I didn't have the same experience with Lawrence is because I was already 23 when her first big movie was released, and 25 when she was blasted onto the pop culture scene.  But my overall point is that... I just have a difficult time seeing Blanchett as distinct given she doesn't have any stand out attributes apart from a regal look and an elegant image.