How Cate Blanchett related to her right-wing character in Mrs America

Cate Blanchett’s latest role may be an extreme right-wing anti-feminist, but there was one thing the actress found relatable.

Apart from being one of the most celebrated actresses of our time, Cate Blanchett has become known for being staunchly supportive of feminism during her long career.

The Australian actress, 51, has regularly used her public platform to talk about pressures women face in Hollywood, the workforce and society in general.

So you’d think stepping in to portray controversial figure Phyllis Schlafly – an avid anti-feminist who was opposed to equal rights for women in the 1970s – for BBC series Mrs America would have been a tough gig.

The show, which is available to stream on Binge, follows the culture war between the women’s liberation movement and conservative women fighting to protect traditional values.

And while her character’s values don’t align with her personal ones, Blanchett said she found a way to relate to Phyllis, who died in 2016.

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Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly in Mrs America. Picture: Sabrina Lantos/FX

Phyllis Schlafly died on September 5, 2016. She was 92. Picture: AFP/Getty/Chip Somodevilla

“It’s very easy to say she was a crackpot but Phyllis was profoundly influential. She was a true ­alpha and absolutely force of nature. Much like myself,” Blanchett joked to The Mirror.

“Ironically, I think I related to her as a working parent.

“But Phyllis thought the Equal Rights Amendment would mean a breakdown of the American family and the ‘virtuous woman’ described in the Bible.

“She truly believed that women were stronger than men and they held the fabric of American society by holding the household together.”

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Schlafly was a conservative icon and lawyer who played a key role in quashing the amendment in 1972, despite it passing the House and Senate and being sent to the states, with Republican president Richard Nixon supporting it.

Schlafly, who more recently made headlines for supporting Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, characterised the women’s liberation movement as anti-family and believed women wouldn’t need daycare as they shouldn’t be permitted to work.

Blanchett leads a stellar cast in the series based on true events, including fellow Australian Rose Byrne, in what many believe is an Emmy-winning performance.

James Madge as John Ashbrook with Blanchett. Picture: Michael Gibson/FX

Sophie Gilbert of The Atlantic called Mrs America “maybe the first great television series of 2020, a project that manages to capture the complicated essence of real characters while telling a story at both micro and macro levels”.

News.com.au’s Wenlei Ma called the series “riveting and engrossing” highlighting the different perspectives showcased, including offering the African-American perspective, something largely glossed over when discussing women’s liberation.

Mrs America is available to stream on Binge