Cate Blanchett has signed on to star in an eight-hour adaptation of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’s plays to launch her stint as co-artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company in her native Australia next year (08).

The ambitious War of the Roses production, which will feature all eight of Shakespeare’s Civil War plays, will be part of next January’s Sydney Festival. The Elizabeth star and her husband, writer Andrew Upton, take over at the STC as joint artistic directors in the New Year (08). Already, the 2008 theatre season has proven fruitful for the STC and for Blanchett – the actress has received financial support from fashion house Armani and car maker Audi. Giorgio Armani has been named as the patron of the theatre.

Australian star Cate Blanchett is ready to walk away from acting next year (08) when she becomes the artistic director of a Sydney theatre. Blanchett and her husband Andrew Upton will take up the post at the Sydney Theatre Company Down Under – but she has no regrets about turning her back on the movie world.

She says, “Frankly, I’ve had this wonderful dalliance with film and it’s been very good to me. But theatre has always been an escape hatch.”

Cate Blanchett revealed she had to use a sock to substitute for a penis to play the role of Bob Dylan in her latest film.

The beautiful actress, who plays the music legend in the new movie ‘I’m Not There’, confessed her efforts to create the perfect manly bulge left her husband feeling “repulsed”.

She said; “My friend put a sock down my trousers and that kind of helped me walk like a man. My husband Andrew wouldn’t come near me. He was utterly repulsed by it.”

Cate, who has been married to Andrew Upton, writer, for 10 years now, also admitted she had to flatten her breasts for the role as well.

She said; “I had to strap those breasts down and just go for it!”

Meanwhile, Cate confessed she would like to quit acting to focus on being a good mother.

The Oscar-winning star, who has two sons, Dashiell and Roman, is planning to move back to her native Australia for her family and insists when she moves she will be working less.

She said; “Dashiell’s five now. He needs to be settled and I respect that. Believe it or not, I’m pretty good at just doing nothing. I’m either sitting very still or running very fast.”

Cate also revealed she is hoping to have more children in the future telling W magazine; “We’re not going to wait forever. God, I’d love it to be now. I’d love it to be next week.”

In other news, Cate is doing her part to help save the environment and be an example to her kids by not washing her hair.

The stunning actress admits to having installed timers all around her home to restrict energy levels and there is even one of her shower head.

She said; “I only need to have a two minute shower.”

She adds, “I went to a website and my husband was laughing at me because a box arrived with 30 timers, and I thought, ‘Excellent, stocking fillers!’”

CATE BLANCHETT is set to stun fans with her latest magazine cover shoot – because she appears on a beach wearing nothing but a soaking wet white shirt.

Photographer Michael Thompson captured the sexy star for the cover of U.S. style magazine W, and she admits she was more than happy to pose provocatively for the snapper – because he made her feel so at ease.

She says, “I was completely zoning out… It was so relaxing.”