Cate Blanchett Reveals Shocking ‘Lord of the Rings’ Paycheck Secret – Kept Elven Ears!

Cate Blanchett’s Surprising Earnings for “The Lord of the Rings”

Acclaimed actress Cate Blanchett has recently shared some interesting insights about her remuneration and that of her co-actors in one of the most profitable film franchises, “The Lord of the Rings”. It may come as a surprise, but the pay was not as high as one might assume.

Blanchett, an Academy Award winner, was appearing alongside Gina Gershon on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” to publicize their forthcoming science fiction film “Borderlands”.

During their conversation, Cohen posed a question to Blanchett, asking, “Which film gave you the most substantial paycheck?”

His guess was: “I would imagine it’s ‘Lord of the Rings.’”

“You must be joking! Absolutely not,” responded Blanchett. “None of us received much money for that film. … Basically, I got free lunches, and I got to keep my [elf] ears.”

The “Tár” actress, known for speaking out about pay inequalities in the film industry, added that women in Hollywood “aren’t compensated as much as people might believe.” This sentiment was echoed by Gershon.

Clearly, the “LOTR” cast was paid some amount, but the earnings were not as substantial as one might expect for such a blockbuster film. Orlando Bloom, who portrayed Legolas, a Sindarin Elf from the Woodland Realm, in the series alongside Blanchett, has previously shared about the relatively low salary he received for the trilogy. During a chat on “The Howard Stern Show” in 2023, he revealed that he was paid a mere $175,000 for all three films.

Blanchett, who played Galadriel, a royal elf from Middle Earth with magical abilities, also reprised her role in the prequel series “The Hobbit”.

When asked about her decision to join the series, she said, “I wanted to work with the man who directed ‘Braindead.’”

“Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson was also the man behind the New Zealand horror-comedy “Braindead,” which released in the United States as “Dead Alive” in 1993. The film starred Timothy Balme as Lionel, whose mother, played by Elizabeth Moody, turns into a zombie after being bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey.

The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, directed by Jackson, raked in a whopping $2.9 billion globally, the first film alone accounting for $898.2 million.

Blanchett may be looking at a more substantial paycheck for her role in the upcoming sci-fi action movie “Borderlands,” based on the popular eponymous video game. Blanchett plays Lilith, a notorious bounty hunter with a shrouded past who reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora, known for its chaos. The film, which also features Édgar Ramírez and Kevin Hart, is set to hit theaters this Friday.