It is another elf monarch, though, that takes our number-one spot as the dream Dream: Peter Jackson's Galadriel, Cate Blanchett. Like Swinton, Blanchett has a pedigree with successful cross-gender performance, thanks to her role as Bob-Dylan-goes-electric in I'm Not There. She would, therefore, bring the same sense of a character assuming a physical form for an audience. She is, however, a more bankable star than the more indie Swinton, with her six forays into Middle Earth combined with the likes of Robin Hood, Indiana Jones and the upcoming Cinderella showing a comfort with large scale fantasy pictures. Like others on this list, Blanchett is an acclaimed Shakespearean stage actor, with Richard II another one of her regal roles. She has the poise, elegance and stature for the part and has the right thin, pale and all-important cheekboned look. In Galadriel she played a character of powerful magical abilities, heroic but potentially dark and threatening if crossed. One of the most talented actors of her generation, of either gender, Blanchett has been outspoken about how there are fewer and fewer roles for women as they get older. Why not circumvent that by playing male characters instead? The favourite to win her second Oscar at this year's Academy Awards ceremony, Blanchett must be looking for a fresh and unusual challenge and this could be it.
