Cate Blanchett has revealed that she and her co-stars in one of the highest-grossing film series, The Lord of the Rings, were not paid as much as one might think.
The Oscar-winning actor appeared with Gina Gershon on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” on Tuesday to promote their upcoming sci-fi film, “Borderlands.”
During the show, Cohen asked Blanchett: “Which movie you've done has earned you the biggest paycheck?”
Cohen guessed: “I think it’s probably ‘The Lord of the Rings.’”
“Are you kidding me? No,” Blanchett said. “Nobody got paid anything to do that movie… I mean, I basically got free sandwiches and I got to keep my job.” [elf] ears.”
The “Tár” actor, who has been outspoken about pay disparities in the industry, said that women in Hollywood “don’t get paid as much as people think they do.” That statement got a thumbs-up from Gershon.
Okay. The cast of “LOTR” received their salaries. somethingBut the dollars apparently weren’t a box office hit. Blanchett’s co-star in the series, Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas, the Sindar elf of the Woodland Realm, has also spoken out about the low salary he earned while making the films. During an appearance on “The Howard Stern Show” in 2023, the actor said he was paid just $175,000 for the three films.
Blanchett, who played Galadriel, a royal elf from Middle Earth with magical powers, also reprised her role in the “Hobbit” prequel series.
What was your motivation for joining the cast? “I wanted to work for the guy who did Braindead.”
“Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson directed the New Zealand horror comedy “Braindead,” which was released in the U.S. in 1993 as “Dead Alive.” Timothy Balme played Lionel, whose mother, Vera Cosgrove, played by Elizabeth Moody, is bitten by a Sumatran rat monkey and turns into a zombie.
Jackson's “Lord of the Rings” trilogy grossed $2.9 billion worldwide, with the first film alone grossing $898.2 million.
Blanchett may be more appropriately cast as she stars in the sci-fi action film “Borderlands,” based on the popular video game of the same name. Blanchett plays Lilith, an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past who reluctantly returns home to Pandora, the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Edgar Ramirez and Kevin Hart also star in the adaptation. “Borderlands” opens in theaters Friday.
