Notes On A Scandal (2006)

Cate Blanchett as: Sheba Hart

Directed by: Richard Eyre
Selected Cast: Judi Dench, Andrew Simpson, Bill Nighy & Juno Temple
Written by: Patrick Marber (Based on the novel of the same name by Zoë Heller)
Release Year: 2006
Genre: Drama / Thriller
MPAA Rating: R

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The bitter, cynical and lonely Barbara Covett is a tough and conservative teacher near to retirement that is loathed by her colleagues and students. In the loneliness of her apartment, she spends her spare time writing her journal, taking care of her old cat Portia and missing her special friend Jennifer Dodd. When Sheba Hart joins the high-school as the new art teacher, Barbara dedicates her attention to the newcomer, writing sharp and unpleasant comments about her behavior and clothes. When Barbara helps Sheba in a difficult situation with two students, the grateful Sheba invites her to have lunch with her family. Sheba introduces her husband and former professor Richard Hart, who is about twenty years older than she; her rebellious teenager daughter Polly; and her son Ben that has Down’s Syndrome. Barbara becomes close to Sheba, but when she accidentally discovers that Sheba is having an affair with the fifteen year-old student Steven Connolly.

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Quotes from Cate Blanchett

“With Notes on a Scandal, it was the script by Patrick Marber, who I think is fantastic. And I’d read the book and thought, ‘Oh, this is interesting.’ There’s a real lost vulnerability about Sheba that I thought might be interesting to play. The point of the story is not her relationship with the 15-year-old boy, it’s about this bizarre, enmeshed, fateful relationship between the two women. But morally I found it one of the most difficult things I’d done, in terms of how old was the actor going to be and what would his parents think about it? The actor was of age, playing younger than he was, obviously, but still there are discussions that one has to have. I was quite puritanical about it, which shocked me.” (Premiere, October 2006)
“I think it was very important for me to suspend my own moral judgment because there is no way to defend what Sheba has done. I don’t think that this film intends to do that at all. The main thing is that the relationship with Steven is the catalyst which propels her into Barbara’s arms and there lies the true drama and its delicious and thrilling side.” (PopEntertainment, February 2007)

Quotes from Others

Judi Dench:
— On Cate Blanchett: “In this world where celebrity trumps talent and where being a star seems far more important to many young actors thank taking part in a craft with a real tradition, Cate, God bless her, is an actress.”
— “My reason for doing Notes on a Scandal was Cate [Blanchett]. My admiration for her is just unbounded. I think she’s really phenomenal.”
— “When we came to work, I realized of course that Cate [Blanchett] has a fierce intelligence, an unbelievable integrity. Her powers of concentration are phenomenal. Above all, she has a great sense of humour which I think is the most important thing to have and she is a phenomenal family person. The fact that she is working on something with an incredible intensity and at the same time can completely switch off and become a member of an incredibly close family with her children and her husband. When I saw her playing Elizabeth, it was one of those rare moments that I forgot I was watching an actress and I believed I was watching a real person who had actually lived and existed in history. I think Cate is the most extraordinary actress and I’m thrilled we did this movie together.”
Patrick Marber:
— “[Cate Blanchett is] really smart, she’s got a very detailed understanding of what’s working for her and what isn’t. Her taste in her own performance is immaculate.”
Andrew Simpson:
— On his audition: “I was going on a rugby tour to Australia on the Friday, and the casting director rang my agent and said they were going to try in Northern Ireland because they couldn’t find anyone in England. So I flew over to London on the Monday and auditioned for the senior casting director. Then they flew me back on the Wednesday and I auditioned for Richard Eyre and Patrick Marber. Then I went on tour and they rang and wanted me back, so they flew me back from Australia! And I did a screen test with an actress and then flew back out to Australia, finished the tour, came back and they wanted me back for another screen test with Cate Blanchett this time! Couple of weeks later I heard I got it.”
— On working with Cate Blanchett: “For the screen test she was really nice. You had to sell yourself in half an hour and it was really nerve-racking. But after that, you could just talk to her about anything. I used most of the time to badger her about scenes and what I should be doing and how I should be doing it. Because I wanted to get the character right and I had my own opinions on it but I wanted to ask what other people’s take on it was.
She was really encouraging. The first days she was saying to me that if I had any problems I should come and see her. That proved invaluable. Especially on a set that you’re really not used to…And when you talk to her she’s one of the nicest people, so that dispels all the views you have of her as Cate Blanchett. She’s just a really nice person.”
— On Judi Dench: “We were really close; we just hit it off. The first time I saw her she walked up and said, “I hear you did very well on your GCSEs.” The woman is just the nicest person I’ve ever met in this business. She was so nice to my dad; she chilled out with him for the whole time we were there. They just chatted. She chatted to me and gave me loads of advice. She asked me to her play over here; she wants to come over to Ireland. She’s just open and warm and lovely. No one deserves success more than her. She taught me a lot about life. I learnt focus from Cate but in terms of life and how to treat people, Judi was great.”

Trivia & Facts

Filmed in UK.
Judi Dench was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role while Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Patrick Marber received nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and Philip Glass for Best Original Score at the Academy Awards, more accolades here.
The film was released in US cinemas on Christmas Day in 2006.
Nicholas Hoult went through several auditions for the role that Andrew Simpson eventually played.
As of 2022, Cate Blanchett holds the record for most Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Bandits (2001), The Aviator (2004), Notes on a Scandal (2006), I’m Not There (2007), and Nightmare Alley (2020).
Juno Temple’s first major film role and her first audition.
After the fight scene in Barbara’s home, Judi Dench said that she and Cate Blanchett almost the whole bottle of champagne bottle to celebrate the end of the scene, as both were worried and tense about having to fight each other.
The film is part of the Out of Competition line-up at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival and screened on 12 February 2007.
Cate Blanchett finished filming Notes on a Scandal (2006) on a Friday then on the Monday she was on set of The Good German (2006).