She is one of Hollywood’s top stars, with a fireplace that leans under the weight of her awards. But the Cate Blanchett he made a big decision: To leave Hollywood aside and “plunge” into the world of humble seeds. Her eyes light up as she talks enthusiastically about the genre banksia from her native Australia.

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“It’s a pretty wild-looking seed that only releases its seed at extremely high temperatures”the actress tells the BBC. And it may look like a toilet brush, but, as the famous actress says, “what comes out of these particular seeds is so impressive”. She lives near Wakehurst Botanic Gardens in Sussex. “Really, I discovered Wakehurst by accident. I was fascinated by the landscape and I always feel refreshed when I’m in nature”explains the actress.

“And then I discovered the seed bank and I was really impressed with the work that is being done here. It was a source of inspiration for me”.

MSB (Millennium Seed Bank) houses more than 2.5 billion seeds collected from 40,000 species of wild plants around the world. The seeds, which come in all shapes, sizes and colours, are carefully processed, dried and then stored in freezers at -20 °C.

The scheme was launched by King Charles – then Prince of Wales – in 2000. He has appeared in a special episode of a Kew podcast about the scheme called ‘Unearthed: The Need For Seeds’ with the actress. In this episode, King Charles talks about his concern that many species of plants are being lost.

“I know how critical all of this is, as well as the destruction of rainforests, the extinction of endless species, which probably have remarkable qualities.”he says on the podcast. When the seed bank first opened, it was envisioned as a doomsday shelter, a back-up repository of seeds to protect endangered wild plants.

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The scientists point out that the purpose of the program is for the seeds to return to their natural environment. We are simply providing them with a safe haven until we can return them to an environment where they can thrive and survive,” they note.

Cate Blanchett describes the seed bank as the UK’s best-kept secret and believes that over the next 25 years its work will continue to gain more and more importance. “You often wonder, where is the good news? And in fact this is asays the actress and adds: “You come here, visit the seed bank, walk through a landscape with so much biodiversity and leave with an uplifted spirit. You know that change is possible and that it is happening.”