Cate Blanchett is a Hollywood starlet that has graced the big screen dozens of times over the
decades. On the red carpet, you can usually find her husband, Andrew Upton, of over 20 years,
beaming with pride right beside her. But unlike Blanchett, her husband
isn't a familiar face. One of Hollywood's most unlikely love stories, what started
as a cheeky game of poker quickly turned into them spending three days in bed together.
Even though Cate and playwright and screenwriter, Andrew Upton, have been inseparable since 1997,
their relationship didn't exactly start out like a fairytale. In fact, when they first met,
they didn't even like each other at all. The pair first crossed paths on the set of a TV show,
and it seems like Cate didn't make a good first impression on her future husband.
The actress shared, "He thought I was aloof and I thought he was arrogant."
They had known each other for a while, but Cate admitted, "We didn't like each other for a long
time – about 17 years! We knew each other socially and we didn't really get on."
She admitted that they "didn't really connect," and they were both seeing other people at the time
anyway. It wasn't until they were playing a game of poker one night and Upton was gushing about a
friend of Blanchett's that he was attracted to when suddenly they kissed in the middle of the
conversation. That's when everything changed. It turned out to be a pretty wild
night. The actress shared, "… There was alcohol involved—alcohol and gambling.
And then we got tattooed." They spent the next three days in
bed together, and after that, she knew that she wanted to marry him.
Cate explained that there was a moment while they were in bed together when Andrew looked at her,
and she thought, "Shit, he's gonna ask me to marry him, and I'm gonna have to say yes,
and then he said, 'No, I'm hungry. Do you want to go get something to eat?'"
After about three weeks of dating, she offered to cook him dinner. Unfortunately,
cooking was not her forte, and the meal she made him turned out to be terrible. But being served
the worst meal of his life didn't stop him from asking the most important question ever.
Blanchett explained, "I somehow decided that to stuff a trout with walnuts and goat's cheese
would be a good idea. He ate it and then he asked me to marry him so clearly he was, I don't know,
hallucinating. He realized I couldn't cook." She then joked that the key to getting a man's
heart is through "food poisoning" because then "they're delirious and then you've got them."
We can't help but wonder if Cate has a point because, after only three weeks of dating,
they were engaged and got married the following year in Australia. But it wasn't as if Cate was
unaware of how fast they were moving. She explained, "Getting married is insanity;
I mean, it's a risk – who knows if you're going to be together forever?
But you both say, 'We're going to take this chance, in the same spirit."
The couple had a small and modest ceremony in 1997. Blanchett admitted that if there
was one moment in her life that she would recapture, it would be her wedding. At the time,
she and Andrew didn't have a lot of money, so they weren't able to afford a photographer.
Just like their romance, the couple wasted no time when it came to starting their family.
The couple welcomed their first son, Dashiell, in 2001 and had two more sons,
Roman in 2004 and Ignatius in 2008. But they weren't done with growing their family. In 2015,
the couple decided to adopt an adorable baby girl, Edith.
Cate explained their decision, "There's a lot of children out there who don't have
the good fortune that our biological children have, so it's wonderful to welcome a little
girl into our fold. We're besotted." The actress explained that it was quite a
nerve-wracking process waiting for the call that they were going to get another child.
She also shared that her three sons "have been extraordinary" with their new sister
and that it's been "wonderful watching them become a little brood."
During a 2017 interview, Blanchett spoke about the difference between raising boys versus girls.
She explains that it's crucial to instill in young men the importance of treating women with respect
and valuing them as people. "Because as a mother of sons you have a responsibility to
instill in them the need to respect and the benefits of respecting women."
Since then, both Blanchett and Upton have effortlessly balanced raising
their children and juggling their Hollywood careers. However, Cate confessed parenting
was a little tricky when she was in quarantine amid the international pandemic in 2020.
Cate explained that it felt like they were in "deep space and could not get off the spaceship."
She also joked that because they were all driving each other crazy, she was frightened
that "someone was going to eat someone." She added, "Your children think you are so
annoying and you think, 'I am not that bad, am I?' I am always crying. It was one of those where
everyone storms off and then you forget it." The actress also shared a funny story about her
failed attempt at trying to get her children to be vegetarians.
Cate brought her kids some piglets and hoped that they would form a "deep connection" with
the animals. She then explained that "if we eat sausages, they're coming from these pigs."
As it turned out, her kids weren't bothered about where the sausages would be coming from.
She confessed, "The kids were just totally fine with that and I was horrified. My plan to turn my
family vegetarian was a monumental failure." Some would assume that with four children and
successful careers, it would be easy for Cate and Andrew to neglect their marriage.
However, the actress and her hubby will always make an effort to prioritize their romance.
It might not always be simple, but they always figure out a way to make time for each other.
After spending two decades together, Cate said that adding a date night to their busy schedules
is close to impossible. But when they do, "it's usually somewhere where we can go and talk. I
keep saying I'd like to go away for the weekend or something. We always have a grand plan and then it
gets whittled down to going out for dinner." As a family, they're also really low-key. They
often spend their days off in their pajamas with their kids and focus on spending their
time together. Cate explained, "We've had a lot of adventure, and I think the next chapter is perhaps
about being a little bit more still." That doesn't mean that things have been smooth
sailing for the past twenty years. The actress confessed that she has a 'perverse attraction
to chaos' as she and her husband regularly take on more than they can handle.
With four teenagers at home, Cate admitted she 'surfs' through her hectic lifestyle for
months at a time before breaking down in tears from stress.
She explained, "I think I have a perverse attraction to chaos. Both my husband and I
freelance, I have four children… I think the way I deal with chaos is to surf it
until it's been going on for six months and then you burst into tears."
Blanchett added that some of the 'emotional' chaos in the couple's home sometimes comes from their
children, who all have strong personalities. Blanchett shared, "My husband and I have been
together for a long time. It's wonderful, but it takes work. We're always biting off
more than we can chew, but that's what makes life interesting."
Not only are Blanchett and Upton the ultimate husband and wife duo and incredible parents,
but they are also partners in business and creative endeavors. The Australian
couple owns a production company and served as joint artistic directors and CEOs of the
Sydney Theater Company from 2008-to 2013. The actress shared about their work together,
"It's been a great creative partnership with my husband and also a great love affair. Working
together, running a creative company in Australia. It's been fantastic."
Cate felt like it was a "natural progression" when working with Andrew because they had often
collaborated on projects together anyway. But when it comes to working together, they made sure not
to bring home with them. The actress explained the importance of separating work life from the
home-life, especially when they have kids. Cate added that she needed to become "more
economical" when it came to balancing her work and personal life. It felt like a relief when
she was able to come home and just be husband and wife and leave work out the door.
When it comes to her advice on marriage, she said, "I think marriage is all about timing."
Who would have thought that one night of poker would have turned into a whirlwind romance?
Something tells us that their love story would be a good inspiration for a romantic comedy movie.
Cate and Andrew's love only proves that first impressions don't really count.
He first thought she was "aloof," and she thought he was "arrogant," but look at them
now! Over twenty years later, they're still going strong. They are officially
one of our favorite Hollywood couples! Thanks for watching our video Juicers! Don’t
forget to subscribe to our channel and hit that notification bell to stay up to date
with all of our latest Hollywood love stories. We want to hear from you! Let us know in the
comments which celebrity couple’s love story you’d like us to dive into next!