Despite "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy grossing $2.9 billion worldwide, Cate Blanchett has revealed that the actors involved did not receive substantial paychecks. During an appearance on "Watch What Happens Live" with Andy Cohen, Blanchett shared that the cast, including herself, earned very little for their participation in Peter Jackson’s iconic film series.
When Cohen guessed that Blanchett's largest paycheck came from "The Lord of the Rings," she responded, “Are you kidding me? No, no one got paid anything to do that movie.” When asked if she received a share of the film's profits, Blanchett replied, “No! That was way before any of that. No, nothing.” She explained that her motivation was to work with Jackson, whom she admired for his 1992 film "Braindead."
Blanchett played the role of Galadriel, a powerful royal elf in Middle-Earth, in both "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and Jackson’s prequel series, "The Hobbit." Despite the film's success, Blanchett humorously noted, “I basically got free sandwiches, and I got to keep my [elf] ears.”
Blanchett is not the only cast member to comment on the low pay. Orlando Bloom, who portrayed Legolas, disclosed on "The Howard Stern Show" last year that he was paid just $175,000 for all three movies.
Blanchett further highlighted the issue of gender pay disparity in the industry, stating, “Women don’t get paid much as you think they do.”
Blanchett made these remarks while promoting her upcoming sci-fi film "Borderlands" on "Watch What Happens Live," where she appeared alongside Gina Gershon. In "Borderlands," Blanchett stars as Lilith, an outlaw hired by weapons manufacturer Atlas (Édgar Ramírez) to find his missing daughter. The film, based on the popular video game series, also features Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Jack Black, and Gershon as Mad Moxxi. "Borderlands" hits theaters this Friday.
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