With an acting career spanning more than 30 years, Cate Blanchett is considered one of the greatest actors of her generation. But she also plays important non-fictional roles.

In 2016, Blanchett became a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.

She has since travelled to Bangladesh, where she met Rohingya Muslims who fled persecution in Myanmar; Lebanon, where she met Syrians forced from their homes by war; and most recently to Jordan, which hosts more than 743,000 refugees.

Al Jazeera caught up with her to discuss the UN’s operations and how the refugees she met have changed her perspective.