Cate Blanchett stuns host with ‘Lord of the Rings’ salary revelation

It’s one of the most celebrated blockbusters in modern history, but Cate Blanchett has opened up about her surprising pay cheque to star in it.

Cate Blanchett is sharing how much she was paid for her role in one of the highest-grossing films of all time, The Lord of the Rings.

During a recent interview on Watch What Happens Live, the Australian actress was asked which of her movies landed her the biggest pay cheque.

“I think it’s probably Lord of the Rings,” host Andy Cohen guessed.

Blanchett replied, “Are you kidding me? No, no one got paid anything to do that movie.”

When asked whether she received “a piece on the back end,” Blanchett responded, “No! That was way before any of that. No, nothing!”

“I wanted to work with the guy who made Braindead,” she said, referring to New Zealand director Peter Jackson’s 1992 movie, also known as Dead Alive.

Blanchett continued to explain how little she had gotten paid to be in The Lord of the Rings, which was released in 2001.

Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood in Lord of the Rings.

“I mean, I basically got free sandwiches, and I got to keep my ears,” Blanchett said.

The Oscar-winning actress portrayed Galadriel, a royal elf, in the fantasy trilogy, and wore pointy prosthetic ears as part of her costume. Blanchett additionally starred in the Hobbit film series – a prequel to The Lord of the Rings.

“Women don’t get paid as much as you think they do,” Blanchett argued.

During Blanchett’s appearance, she “pleaded the fifth,” when Cohen asked which of her Hollywood male co-stars was the most high-maintenance to work with, including Brad Pitt, Robert Redford, George Clooney, Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The actress is set to star in the upcoming film Borderlands alongside Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Earlier this week, Blanchett narrowly avoided a wardrobe malfunction, thanks to her co-star Curtis.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Cate Blanchett attended the Borderlands in LA this week. Picture: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Lionsgate

Curtis had Blanchett’s back amid a wardrobe malfunction. Picture: VALERIE MACON/AFP

During Tuesday’s special fan screening of the new action comedy, Curtis stood directly behind Blanchett in an attempt to cover up her ripped pants.

Curtis told Entertainment Tonight, “Nothing is going on! You know what is going on? I got her back.”

The two leading ladies laughed throughout the interview and remained close together, with Curtis mindfully covering Blanchett’s backside.

This story originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Cate Blanchett stuns host with ‘Lord of the Rings’ salary revelation