Cate Blanchett didn’t cash the biggest check for her time in Middle-earth.
The actress, who played Galadriel in Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings trilogy (and The Hobbit prequels), was quizzed 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. And the answer surprised even host Andy Cohen.
Blanchett, 55, was visibly shocked when Cohen guessed that her biggest paycheck was “probably Lord of the Rings,” responding, “Are you kidding me?”
“No, no one got paid anything to do that movie,” she said.
Cohen then asked Blanchett whether she got a “piece of the back end.” The actress responded, “No, that was way before any of that … no, nothing.”
“I wanted to work with the guy who made Braindead,” the Oscar winner explained of her participation, referring to Jackson’s earlier 1992 horror/comedy movie.
Blanchett added, “I mean, I basically got free sandwiches and I got to keep my ears.” (The actress wore pointed prosthetic ears to complete Galadriel’s Elven appearance in the franchise.)
“No, no one got paid anything,” she reiterated.
As for her biggest paycheck to date, Blanchett played coy, saying, “Well, not very often. Women don’t get paid as much as you think they do.”
Blanchett’s latest role is as famous outlaw Lilith in a movie adaptation of the video game Borderlands. On Tuesday, August 6, the actress rocked an outfit comprised of 102 spoons at the movie’s Los Angeles premiere.
The star’s stylist Elizabeth Stewart shared a video via Instagram of Blanchett showing off her look before walking the red carpet, and captioned it, “She found the ring and it’s @louisvuitton #CateBlanchett heading to @borderlandsfilm premiere wearing- believe it or not – a top made of 102 spoons from @hoda_kova.”
Hodakova is a sustainability-conscious European fashion label that utilizes deadstock and upcycled materials to create “artisanal pieces.”
On Wednesday, Stewart shared a photo of Blanchett posing on the red carpet in the Hodakova outfit and captioned it, “A whole new meaning for Spooning!”
Borderlands follows a ragtag group of friends led by Blanchett’s Lilith, who returns to her home planet of Pandora after being hired to find weapons manufacturer Atlas’ (Édgar Ramírez) missing daughter. The film costars Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Gina Gershon and Jack Black.
