Cate Blanchett becomes a gamer to prepare for new film

Cate Blanchett says she bought a PlayStation 5 to prepare for her role in the science fiction action film Borderlands.

The Australian actress stars in the lead role of Lilith in Eli Roth's film adaptation of the video game and explained that she purchased a gaming console to delve into the virtual world with her husband Andrew Upton.

"My thumbs can barely control a phone, but I bought a PS5 and we played each other," Blanchett told Empire magazine.

"I wanted to know the limits of the game and what fans loved about the character. I got really absorbed in that whole world. The cosplayers. The YouTube make-up tutorials."

Blanchett, 55, explained that her attraction to "crazy" roles convinced her to join the cast of the film.

"The crazy asks are usually the things I gravitate towards; the things I could never conceive of," the Oscar-winning star said.

"I think there also may have been a little COVID madness - I was spending a lot of time in the garden, using the chainsaw a little too freely. My husband said, 'This film could save your life.'"

Roth says the film will appeal to both newcomers and "hardcore gamers".

"You do not have to have played the game to enjoy the film," the 52-year-old director said.

* Borderlands is released in Australian cinemas on August 8.