Cate Blanchett Makes Surprising Revelation About Her 'Lord of the Rings' Salary

Cate Blanchett made an unexpected revelation about what she got paid to star in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

If you forgot, the 55-year-old Borderlands actress played the elf Galadriel in the original trio of movies, starting in 2001. She reprised the role in three movies from the spinoff series The Hobbit.

During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Cate was asked about her biggest payday, and Andy Cohen guessed it was with the franchise. Her answer will likely shock you.

Keep reading to find out more…

“Are you kidding me,” she exclaimed in surprise when Andy guessed the movies. “No. I didn’t get paid anything to do that movie.” She added that it was before the days where actors would get a bonus to their base salary for the movie’s performance at the box office.

Why did she take the role then? “I wanted to work with the guy who made Braindead,” Cate explained. If you were unaware, director Peter Jackson directed that movie in the early ’90s.

“I mean I basically got free sandwiches, you know? And I got to keep my ears,” she continued, joking about her salary.

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

If you missed it, another big star recently reflected on turning down a role in the franchise.