There she was, staring at me face to face. Not because I was so drop dead handsome she couldn't resist me but due to my bling. Exclaimed Cate Blanchett, "My god, look at your necklace!" which I took as a compliment to my sculptural golden dragon necklace coiling around my neck. I showed her my 4-inch lizard ring and the ice was broken.
The SK II family!
I was invited by SKII the world famous skincare system which contains the miracle ingredient pitera to meet Cate Blanchett. One-to-one, face-to-face in her suite which set my heart palpitating and took me hours debating what to wear since I had to slay her at first sight with my wardrobe arsenal.
Since we had already bumped into each other at the loo entrance, she was more relaxed and at ease. Inside her suite, Cate Blanchett spent 10 minutes examining my bling and created a commotion when she summoned her media manager Gary Saunders and her entire entourage to have a closer look at my jewels and my shirt, pants and bag with my face painted on them!
As proof I am not boasting or lying through my teeth, these are the photos taken by her official photographer showing her examining my outfit and accessories from top to toe. Literally too as she squealed when she saw my shoes for each shoe had 5 separate sockets so I could push one toe inside one of them! So I looked like I was wearing a rubbery sock though the soles were reinforced as these were meant for cross-country running. Cate Blanchett bent down and actually held my left foot in her hands to check out my cutesy shoes. So for the first time in my life, a superstar actually went down to hold my foot! This is something to tell my grand and great grandchildren but too bad I am not married so this branch of my family ends with me...
She did not drip with diamonds and I resembled a Xmas tree compared to her cool and classy demeanor. I explained calmly, "I can never outshine you so I am hoping to out-bling you."
Nodded Cate Blanchett, "That you have. May I have a photo with you?"
I almost fainted. This was the first time a superstar had honoured me with such a request!Two honours in one day! Thank Buddha and Jesus my heart could take it! Here is the proof as we had a photo session by her professional pixman!
For the first time in my life, a superstar had asked to have her photo taken with me. And not by anyone but her personal, professional camera with proper lighting and umbrella shades!
See, I am not bluffing. Superstar Cate Blanchett is pointing to my portrait and asking if the artist had enhanced my body as the painted version had 6-packs. I insisted that was my body and offered to remove my shirt to prove it but she declined as I knew she would, hahah!
Me and my bling as an amused Cate Blanchett looks on.
Notice her heels. No wonder I am only up to her ears!
I never realised I was so close to her! Lucky, super-lucky me! The stars in high heaven were shining on me that day in Beijing!
Cate Blanchett was particularly enthralled by my dragon bracelet.
Notice my 5-toed shoes which caught Cate Blanchett's eyes and she even held my foot in her hand to have a closer look as each of my 5 toes had a socket made for it!
Cate Blanchett says I am an endangered species just like the tiger! I must agree!
Cate Blanchett wore Christian Lacroix Couture and I wore Tiger suit by Melvin Lam Couture! Hope he is reading this.
Nicole Kidman, who I interviewed in Tokyo at an Omega party, took photos with me during our one-to-one interview but she never even asked me to email the photos we took together. I blatantly asked Cate Blanchett for her handphone in Sydney since I go there often and would love to visit her in her A$ 18 million home called Bulwarra, an 18th century mansion. She smirked sweetly and asked me to go through Gary Saunders. Oh well, I had expected as much, haha.
Cate Blanchett tends to star in stirring blockbusters like ‘Elizabeth’, ‘Elizabeth; The Golden Age’, Maid Marion in ‘Robin Hood’ and other-worldly beings like Galadriel in ‘Lord of the Rings’. An ethereal beauty and great character actress, Cate Blanchett’s new blockbuster ‘Hanna’ will be released this April, the second time she is playing a baddie since ‘Indiana Jones and Kingdom of Crystal Skull’.
Cate Blanchett was so wonderfully warm, effortlessly charming and adorably sweet she will now henceforth be referred to as Cate the Great!
In my exclusive interview which lasted 40 minutes instead of the allocated 15 minutes, Cate Blanchett revealed to me why she avoids bottled water like the plague, is happy to walk over broken glass and loves being licked by men. Yes, this is no typo error. She declared she loved being licked by men with their tongues! I know what you are thinking but hold on to your horses...
Cate Blanchett is a towering figure, both metaphorically as a great Academy Award winning actress and physically. She towers over most men, including husband Andrew Upton but with the aid of props in the form of 5-inch heels which she joking told me to write as ‘8 inches’.
SKII FOREVER!
Cate Blanchett is not a classic beauty like Elizabeth Taylor but hers is more ethereal which makes it more interesting and unusual. “Cookie-cutter beauties are a dime a dozen but Cate fascinates by catching your eye instantly with her aura,” says a SKII spokesman which explains why Cate is its global ambassador though there are nearly twenty regional ambassadors for specific countries, including actress Lee Sinje, the only one from Malaysia.
Cate Blanchett has been SKII’s face for ten years now and swears she was already using it for three before being invited to jump into the SKII bandwagon. She explains, “I had just given birth and my skin was less than lustrous. I noticed my make-up had to be thicker to cover my imperfections! Of course I was concerned as I never liked pancake make-up.Mary, my make-up artist, suggested I try SKII. I did and my complexion looked better than when I was younger!”
Continues the luminescent beauty, “I am lucky to be in a position to choose so I never endorse or lend my name to any project or product I don’t believe in. So if SKII did not work for me, I would certainly have refused to be its spokesperson. Yes I am an actress and I could be very convincing promoting SK II, but I am an ethical actress!
"I am also very concerned about our environment so am heavily involved in Australian Conservation Foundation which is devoted to protecting, restoring and sustaining the environment. I have been ambassador for www.whoonearthcares.com since 2007 and Patron of SolarAid.”
Another project dear to her heart is SKII’s ‘Clear for Life’ clean water project. “One in 8 humans does not have access to clean, drinking water and women bear the brunt of this water crisis as they are supposed to find water for the family. ‘Clear for Life’ project provides sachets to communities containing a special powdered mixture that miraculously transforms dirty, muddy water into clean, drinking water! This instant DIY that takes less than a minute and saves lives in disaster areas. I am proud to be associated with SKII which is also ecologically minded and gives back to society as a socially responsible corporate citizen."
Which brings us to the subject of bottled water. She has avoided drinking from bottled water like the plague since January last year. “Mineral or any bottled water is a waste of resources! It consumes too much energy and manpower to produce bottled water and again consumes excessive energy to get rid of plastic bottles! It is also expensive and unacceptable to transport bottled water across the globe as water is so heavy. It is outrageous. More so in major capitals and the West where drinking straight from tap water will not kill or you can just boil it. Tap water is fine and it is unforgivably wasteful to drink bottled water just to be fashionable or to show off you can afford it. Wealthy parents do a disservice to their kids by giving them bottled water as they get more teeth cavities due to lack of fluoride!”
MOVIE MANIA
Soon to be released ‘Hanna’ is about a 14-year old girl trained by her father in Finland’s frozen wilderness to be a ruthless, cold-blooded assassin. Owned by CIA, Hanna has the strength, smarts and skills of a super soldier since Daddy was former CIA top gun.
Despite all attempts by SKII and applications of its treatment essence, she could not play a 14-year old teenager so she plays Marissa Wiegler, an agent with secrets of her own (could she be Hanna’s mother?) sent to track Hanna after the kid decides to live a normal life.
Throughout 2011, Malaysians visiting Sydney can catch Cate perform live on stage at Sydney Theatre Company as superstars still relish hearing live applause from audiences.
“I don’t wish to look 25. I want to look great for my age which is 41,” declares the youthful superstar. “My current beauty discovery is SK II Mask-in Lotion which I use over or under make-up, depending which I apply first! It brings an immediate, radiant, youthful glow. My all-time favourite is of course the world famous SKII Facial Treatment Essence which forms the basis of my beauty regime. My friends all agree it takes just 7 days to make their skin crystal clear.
“In Australia, the sun is very unforgiving so I use SKII Facial Treatment UV Protection SPF 25 when I know I will be in the sun. I don’t expose my skin to the sun but I don’t avoid it totally as that would lead to Vitamin D deficiency so I allow myself indirect sunlight.”
She admits to the dilemma confronting mid-aged women. “There is a temptation to apply more and thicker make-up as we age but I keep mine natural. On screen, if you have heaps on, it acts like a mask. As an actress, acting is about revealing your emotions, not hiding them behind a mask.”
She will be reprising her role as Galadriel in ‘The Hobbit 1’ and ‘The Hobbit 2’ which begins shooting soon. “I loved making ‘Lord of the Ring’, filming in New Zealand and working with director Peter Jackson. Actually Galadriel does not appear in the book version so I don’t know what Peter wants me to do but I will walk over broken glass to do it!”
LICKED BY MEN
In 2009 she together with fellow Aussies who won Academy Awards appeared in postage stamps. “Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman and myself were honoured with ‘Australian Legends of the Screen’ series. Each of us appeared twice, one as ourselves and the other as the character that won us the Academy Award. I won playing Katharine Hepburn in ‘The Aviator’ but I asked to appear on the stamp as Queen Elizabeth I for roles in the two movies ‘Elizabeth’ and ‘Elizabeth; The Golden Age’. I thought it was more relevant as we have Queen Elizabeth II on our coins.”
During the ceremony she was asked how she felt and brought the house down when she replied, “I look forward to being licked by millions of Aussie men,”
SIMPLIFYING LIFE
“I am fortunate to be offered to do exciting things so I tended to accept. Now I must show more restraint. It might upset some people but it is best to say ‘No’ at the start than be forced to say ‘No’ later. I cut my hair as it is easier to maintain and in movies, I wear wigs anyway. Finally I use SKII products for skincare and eat sensibly.”
THE END
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