Cate Blanchett Seems Pretty Stoked That ‘Tár’ Has Made Her A ‘Lesbian Icon’: ‘Yeah, Baby!’

Cate Blanchett already has two Oscars to her name, and with Tár there’s a good chance she’ll get a third. (That is, if Michelle Yeoh doesn’t finally get one.) Not everyone is a fan; a female conductor who likely inspired Blanchett’s character — though not the story — has come out against it. But the responses have been largely rapturous and it’s even earned the beloved actress a new title: lesbian icon, with which she’s cool.

In the film, Blanchett plays Lydia Tár, a groundbreaking conductor and composer who’s an EGOT and the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. She’s also a lesbian, married to the Philharmonic’s concertmaster (Nina Hoss). Though Tár, born Linda Tarr, is accused of some shady business later in the film, the character has become a gold mine for social media memes and jokes. It’s also made Blanchett what you could call a “lesbian icon.”