Sun Herald

Shelly Horton 

August 19, 2007 

 

THE hardened journos in the Canberra press gallery were all a-twitter when Cate Blanchett and her hubby Andrew Upton strolled through the corridors of Parliament on Thursday.

I guess the press gallery is more used to cheap suits and grumpy pollies, so when Blanchett sashayed in wearing a gorgeous silver ensemble you could hear mandibles hitting desks.

Blanchett, Upton and their good friend Hugo Weaving had been at Parliament House the night before to attend a screening of Ian Darling's documentary In The Company Of Actors, which follows the rehearsals of the Sydney Theatre Company's version of Hedda Gabler, adapted by Upton.

But no one expected a second visit the next day. Apparently Blanchett and Upton were wandering around the press gallery with their minders, chatting to people, and angling for a meeting with the Prime Minister - but even their star power couldn't make that happen.

So the couple went to Aussies Cafe, which is not open to the public but is frequented by MPs and political journalists. No doubt they were pushing their favourite causes of funding for the arts and the environment.