Cate Blanchett to Star in Sweetsick, the Feature Debut of Lady Macbeth Writer
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Australian actress Cate Blanchett, known for Tár and Nightmare Alley, has joined the cast of Sweetsick, directed by Alice Birch. With this film, Birch makes her feature directorial debut at Searchlight.
Written by Birch, Sweetsick tells the story of a woman (played by Blanchett) who possesses the ability to see the deepest inner needs of others—at a heavy cost. Filming will begin this fall in the UK and Greece.
Blanchett, through her company Dirty Films, serves as one of the producers. Tessa Ross and Juliet Howell of House Productions are also producing, with Film4 providing part of the financing.
Birch said: “I am so thrilled to be making my first feature with such an extraordinary team of filmmakers and collaborators. I trust Tessa Ross and her brilliant team at House, and it is an honor to work with Searchlight and Film4. Having Cate Blanchett’s unmatched presence at the heart of the film is incredibly exciting for me.”
Blanchett, who recently appeared in Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother at the Venice Film Festival, has won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Blue Jasmine directed by Woody Allen, and Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator directed by Martin Scorsese. Her filmography also includes The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Cinderella, Thor: Ragnarok, Ocean’s 8, and Don’t Look Up.
Birch rose to prominence with her acclaimed film Lady Macbeth, which earned her a BAFTA nomination. She later won a Writers Guild of America Award for Succession and received an Emmy nomination for her television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People. Birch also adapted Rooney’s Conversations with Friends for television.
