Well, at least she got to keep the elf ears.
Cate Blanchett – who played the mighty elf Galadriel in “Lord of the Rings”and the “Hobbit” film series – was featured on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live!”“ when asked by the moderator on Wednesday which of her projects had brought her the “biggest paycheck.”
Before the Oscar winner could answer, Cohen guessed it was Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy.
“Is this a joke?” Blanchett said, shocked. “No, no one was paid for this film.”
Cohen then asked Blanchett if she had gotten a “piece of the rear end.” The “Tar” star replied, “No, that was long before any of that… no, nothing.”
She then revealed why she decided to accept the role in the series, which premiered in 2001 and ended in 2003.
“I wanted to work with the guy who made Braindead,” the “Carol” star explained, referring to Jackson’s 1992 zombie comedy.
Blanchett added: “I mean, I basically got free sandwiches and got to keep my ears.” “No, nobody got paid anything,” she repeated.
As for her biggest paycheck yet, Blanchett remained vague – and quite realistic – when she said:
“Women don’t earn as much as you think.”
Although Blanchett was essentially cheated out of her earnings, the franchise ended up becoming one of the highest-grossing film series of all time, grossing $2.9 billion worldwide..
And the actor wasn’t the only elf from the series who received a measly paycheck for his time in Middle Earth. In 2019, Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas in the series, told “The Howard Stern Show”: that he only received $175,000 for all three films.
“The greatest gift of my life,” Bloom said of the experience of making the films and what they meant for his career. “For half the money, I would do it again.”
