Cate Blanchett hopes U.S. citizens register to vote for the midterm elections

(19 Oct 2018) CATE BLANCHETT HOPES U.S. CITIZENS REGISTER TO VOTE FOR THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Cate Blanchett wants people to get out and vote in the U.S. midterm elections on November 6.
Speaking at a Rome Film Festival press conference Friday (19 OCT. 2018,) the Australian actress responded to a question asking what magic power she'd like by saying:
"I would make sure that everyone the age of 18 and up registers to vote in the American elections in the midterms."
She added: "I come from a country where voting in a democracy is compulsory. And I think that freedom is a responsibility that is fast becoming a massive responsibility. So I would encourage everyone to vote. I don't know why the rest of the world can't vote in the American elections because it affects us all. But yes definitely helping people to register to vote."
Blanchett was at the festival to promote her new children's fantasy adventure movie, "The House with a Clock in Its Walls."
Directed by horror maestro Eli Roth and based on John Bellairs' 1973 young-adult fantasy novel of the same name, it centers on Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) – a young boy who goes to live with his oddball uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) in a creaky old house.
After a series of mysterious goings on, Lewis soon discovers that his uncle is in fact a warlock, while his next-door neighbor, Florence (Blanchett), is a powerful good witch.
During the press conference, Blanchett spoke about why the story resonated with her.
"Magic is all about transformation. It has been right back to the shamans. It's all about changing you know lead into gold. You know alchemy and the idea of that being a metaphor for now is I think a really exciting one. Is that you don't have, we don't have to remain in a place of stasis that we, that we can actually change and transform into something else and I think that's a very positive message to children."
One of the things she loved about the film is that "it doesn't patronize children."
"It doesn't make the world a sentimental happy easy place. It actually, and the film talks about this, it celebrates the weirdness of all of the characters. I think that the notion of childhood actually is a 19th-century concept. It didn't exist in ages prior to that and it's certainly become a marketing concept and I think children are much more resilient and wise and capable and knowing about the world around them. So to present complex worlds for them I think is far more exciting task and opportunity as an actor rather than trying to teach them a lesson."
Blanchett was also asked to comment on her numerous career successes – to which she said:
"I think what makes you indomitable is what you learn from your failures. And I have had thousands of them both personally and professionally and they have taught me far more about being beaten down getting back up. Not trying to repeat the same mistakes. Then I think you learn very little from success."
"The House with a Clock in Its Walls" opens in Italian theatres on October 31st.

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