We always knew there was something special about Cate Blanchett. Aside from incredible acting, turns out the movie star loves getting around London by bike.
The Oscar-winning actor and producer has gone viral after being spotted cycling away from the National Theatre on a Brompton folding bike following a performance in the new production Electra/Persona. A video of Blanchett making her low-key exit from the theatre and riding away through the capital quickly attracted more than two million views on X.
Blanchett is currently starring alongside Nina Hoss in Electra/Persona, a new production by director Benedict Andrews playing at the Lyttelton Theatre at London’s National Theatre from Aug. 19 to Oct. 10.
But while theatre-goers gathered to see one of the world’s most recognizable actors take the stage, it was what happened after the show that captured attention online.
Leaving the theatre with a rucksack, Blanchett was seen unfolding her Brompton and cycling away from the crowds — an unexpectedly ordinary commute for a Hollywood star accustomed to red carpets and premieres.
A second image circulating online appears to show Blanchett taking the multimodal approach to getting around London, combining her folding bike with public transit.
According to Brompton, Blanchett was riding an Electric C Line with the brand’s e-Motiq system, an e-bike designed for the kind of flexible urban travel that allows riders to cycle, fold the bike and carry it onto other forms of transportation.
Cate Blanchett at the train station with her Brompton (Image credit: @theooo.g on TikTok)
Why a Brompton makes sense for getting around a city
The viral moment may have surprised some fans, but Blanchett’s choice of transportation makes plenty of sense in a city like London.
Brompton bikes have become synonymous with urban mobility thanks to their compact folding design, allowing riders to combine cycling with trains, buses, taxis and other forms of transportation. The London-made bikes can be folded down quickly for easier storage and carrying, helping solve one of the biggest challenges of city cycling: what to do with your bike once you arrive.
Brompton says its bikes are now sold in 47 countries, with more than 1.2 million produced since inventor Andrew Ritchie built the first one in 1975. The company produces close to 100,000 bikes annually and remains a familiar sight on London’s streets.
For Blanchett, the bike offered something a chauffeured car couldn’t: a quick and uncomplicated way to leave the theatre and disappear into the city under her own power.
And perhaps that’s what has made the moment so appealing. Even one of Hollywood’s biggest stars still has somewhere to go after work — and sometimes the easiest way to get there is simply to hop on a bike and ride.