Cate Blanchett as the title character in Todd Haynes’ ‘Carol.’ (Photo courtesy Weinstein Productions)

Actress Cate Blanchett believes straight actors shouldn’t receive backlash for portraying LGBT roles.

Blanchett, 49, received critical acclaim for her role as a lesbian woman in the film “Carol.” According to the Hollywood Reporter, Blanchett defended straight actors taking on LGBT roles as she did during a Q&A at the Rome Film Festival.

“It speaks to something that I’m quite passionate about in storytelling generally, but in film specifically, which is that film can be quite a literal medium. And I will fight to the death for the right to suspend disbelief and play roles beyond my experience,” Blanchett says.

She also blamed reality television for changing audiences’ perception of how a character should be portrayed. She says people now only see an actor’s portrayal as accurate if they can relate to the character.

“I think reality television and all that that entails had an extraordinary impact, a profound impact on the way we view the creation of character,” Blanchett says. “I think it provides a lot of opportunity, but the downside of it is that we now, particularly in America, I think, we expect and only expect people to make a profound connection to a character when it’s close to their experience.”