Cate Blanchett says ‘no one got paid anything’ for ‘Lord of the Rings’
Originally Published: 08 AUG 24 11:18 ET
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Say it isn’t so precious.
Actress Cate Blanchett may have starred in the box office smash hit “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” but, according to her, that money didn’t trickle down to the cast.
During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” Blanchett played “Plead the Fifth” and was asked about the film for which she received the biggest paycheck.
“I think it’s probably ‘Lord of the Rings,’” Cohen suggested
“Are you kidding me,” Blanchett said as Cohen expressed surprised. “No. No one got paid anything to do that movie.”
When Cohen asked whether she “got a piece of the backend,” referring to the practice of big stars getting a percentage of the ticket sales, Blanchett said no.
“That was way before any of that,” she said. “No, nothing.”
Blanchett said she did the 2001 film for the chance to work with Peter Jackson, who directed “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
“I wanted to work with the guy who made [1992 horror comedy film] ‘Braindead,’” she said. “I mean, I basically got free sandwiches. And I got to keep my ears.”
Blanchett played royal elf Galadriel in the “The Lord of the Rings” franchise. The first film grossed almost $900 million worldwide. She is currently promoting her new film, “Borderlands,” which is in theaters Friday.
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