Cate Blanchett

The Oscar-winning actress (and face of the new Armani fragrance Say Sì) sat down with InStyle to talk about serving as a goodwill ambassador to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, overcoming high school insecurities, and learning to embrace fear.

- Amy Synnott

As a U.N. goodwill ambassador, you recently traveled to Jordan to meet with families displaced by Syria’s brutal five-and-a-half-year conflict. Can you tell us about your role?

The UNHCR deals with all issues surrounding refugees: providing shelter, passages to safety, and, of course, education. We are currently facing the largest displacement crisis since World War II. Almost 65 million people, and half of them are children! And it’s not just in the Middle East and Syria. There are forgotten pockets in South Sudan, Central Africa, Nigeria. The problem is worldwide. My job as a goodwill ambassador is to humanize the refugee experience, to build a bridge of compassion.

Traveling to war-torn countries is not for the faint of heart. Have you always been someone who stands up for what you believe in—even in the face of risk?