You Cate believe who is playing Bob Dylan

From her breakthrough role as Elizabeth I - through to her Oscar-winning turn as Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator - she is as mesmerising playing historical figures as she is modern ones.

However her next role will surely outdo all the others when her performance inspired by legendary folk singer Bob Dylan hits the big screen.

Looking unrecognisable from her usual polished blonde self, Blanchett has donned a wig, shades and leather jacket - all black of course - to rival that of the Mr Tambourine Man's distinctive '60s look.

Scroll down to watch Cate in her Dylan-inspired role...

Spot the real Bob Dylan: Cate Blanchett (left) plays the folksinger (right) in the film I'm Not There

The woman who has played Elizabeth I and Katharine Hepburn is almost unrecognisable in her latest guise

There is of course the mandatory guitar, harmonica and cigarette close at hand to add to the air of authenticity.

The Australian actress, 38, is one of six actors including Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and up-and-coming British actor Ben Whishaw who will make an appearance as Dylan - each embodying a different aspect of his life story and music.

However Blanchett's casting in I'm Not There is by far the most unconventional - and the usually unflappable actress said the prospect of it "terrified" her.

Blanchett told the Guardian: "I have always loved his (Dylan) music, but I'm terrified about this because I am besotted".

"I watched the press conference he gave in San Francisco in 1965, or whenever it was, and just think, 'I love you'.

Scroll down to watch Cate in her Dylan-inspired role...

I'm not There is the first biographical feature to win the approval of Dylan

Richard Gere and Heath Ledger also appear in the film - each embodying a different aspect of Dylan's life story and music

She added: "The worst thing an actor can do is fall in love with someone they're about to portray, but I'm not playing him - my character is called Jude.

"It's a riff on who Bob Dylan could possibly be. When I saw the script I thought, 'This is so out there I can't run away from this'."

Scroll down to watch Cate in her Dylan-inspired role...

Cate in more glamorous attire (left) and Bob Dylan as he is now at the age of 66

'I'm Not There' will look at Dylan's early days as a struggling folk-singer, his rise to the forefront of the early '60s folk scene, the controversial switch to rock, the motorcycle accident and his subsequent retreat from public view.

As well as his latter day de-emphasis of recording and his concentration on the concert series known as the Never Ending Tour.

Watch Cate in I'm Not There...