It seems veteran actress Cate Blanchett didn't receive any hefty paycheck for playing unforgettable character Galadriel in Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The box office performance of a movie is not necessarily determined by the remuneration of the actors. Probably, “The Lord of the Rings”, one of the highest-grossing movie series of all time with an overall earning of $2.9 billion worldwide is the best example for that.
While asked about her “biggest paycheck for starring in a movie” during an appearance on the Wednesday, August 7, episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, the 55-year old actress confessed about getting no paycheck for her role in Lord of the Rings (LOTR).
During the show, host Andy Cohen asked the actress what film she received the biggest paycheck for. “I think it’s probably ‘Lord of the Rings,'” Cohen guessed.
Blanchett was visibly surprised when the host guessed that her biggest paycheck was “probably Lord of the Rings.” She immediately responded, “Are you kidding me?”
“No, no one got paid anything to do that movie,” she said
How much money did Cate Blanchett make from Lord of the Rings? #WWHL pic.twitter.com/QDsPlFs5il
— Watch What Happens Live! (@BravoWWHL) August 8, 2024
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Cohen then asked Blanchett if she got a “piece of the back-end.” The actress responded, “No, that was way before any of that … no, nothing.”
Blanchett added, “I mean, I basically got free sandwiches and I got to keep my ears.”
Meanwhile, Cate wore pointed prosthetic ears for Galadriel’s elven appearance in the franchise.
“No, no one got paid anything,” she reiterated.
“I wanted to work with the guy who made Braindead,” the actress who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator (2004), explained her participation, referring to Peter Jackson’s 3rd directorial horror/comedy venture in 1992.
Blanchett further added about hefty paychecks, “Well, not very often. Women don’t get paid as much as you think they do.”
Credit - @blanchettcom X handle
Blanchett’s Galadriel in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy is a royal elf in Middle-Earth with powerful magical powers. The actress reprised her role in Jackson’s “Hobbit” film series, which was a prequel to “The Lord of the Rings.”
After graduating from National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Cate Blanchett started her professional acting career on the Australian stage. She made debut in feature film in 1997, however, she received international recognition for portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the period drama named Elizabeth, released in 1998. She also received her first Academy Award nomination for that role.
In her latest release Borderlands, Blanchett played the character of famous outlaw Lilith. Adapted from a video game of the same name, Blanchett’s character returns to her home planet of Pandora after being hired by weapons manufacturer Atlas (played by Édgar Ramírez) to find and rescue his missing daughter.
Credit - Lionsgate Movies
For taking up this special role, the actress shared “It was COVID, and I was doing everything to keep my kids away from playing video games, like, ‘Let’s get outdoors!’” She recalled; “I thought, ‘This could be really interesting.’ In the game, there was always a nod and a wink; a deliberate B-grade mash-up of chunky sci-fi and spaghetti Western.”
The actress also found the original game “quite addictive.”
The film also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Jack Black and Gershon.
