Cate Blanchett Collects $100,000 for Japan's Top Art Honor

Cate Blanchett collected 15 million yen, just under $100,000, on Wednesday after receiving Japan's Praemium Imperiale in Tokyo. The lifetime achievement award adds to a career that already includes two Academy Awards. Blanchett accepted the honor at a black-tie ceremony held at the Meiji Kinenkan in Tokyo's Moto-Akasaka district.

Princess Hitachi presented the actor with the medal and a testimonial letter. The Japan Art Association gives the prize to individuals for lifetime achievement in painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and theater or film. Blanchett is the latest in a list of recipients that includes Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Martin Scorsese, Judi Dench, and Catherine Deneuve. Ang Lee received the award in 2024, making him the most recent Hollywood figure to hold the title before Blanchett.

Blanchett used her acceptance speech to focus on the role of uncertainty in art. She argued that doubt allows artists to question assumptions and connect with audiences. She noted that acting can become overly literal, but it can also create experiences that leave viewers without words. She described a character's unspoken thoughts as a key area for discovery.

The actor said that uncertainty about fully communicating remains a part of her work. She observed that women's doubt is often mistaken for a lack of confidence, though she views it as the starting point of her artistic process. She praised her fellow recipients for the courage required to sustain artistic risk-taking over long careers. This year's other laureates were American artist Jenny Holzer, British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy, American architect Daniel Libeskind, and Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended the preceding news conference in her role as the prize's U.S. international adviser. Clinton said the award affirms the essential place of artists in society. She argued that support for the arts has become more urgent amid threats to democratic values and concerns about artificial intelligence. She called for restraint in using the technology to protect human imagination.

Blanchett's visit to Japan also includes participation in the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs through Nov. 4. On Friday, she is scheduled to join Mohammad Rasoulof and Shahrbanoo Sadat for a question-and-answer session. The event will follow the Japanese premieres of five shorts backed by the Displacement Film Fund, an initiative Blanchett co-founded and leads to support displaced filmmakers. She is also due to discuss the alien comedy Alpha Gang with directors David and Nathan Zellner later that day.