Cate Blanchett says ‘no one got paid’ to film Lord of the Rings

The trilogy is among the highest-grossing franchises of all time.

The Australian actress was one of the only actors to be included in every Jackson-directed Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie, appearing in six in total.

The first of the franchise - The Fellowship of the Ring - premiered in 2001 to critical acclaim and, to many, is considered one of the greatest movies of all time.

Blanchett went on to have an illustrious career in Hollywood, and has earned two Academy Awards - the first in 2004 as Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator and the second in 2013 as Best Actress for Blue Jasmine.

Now, the 55-year-old has revealed that she never got paid for one of her best-known performances.

In an interview with US talk show host Andy Cohen during an episode of Watch What Happens Live which aired this week, Blanchett disclosed the shocking revelation about her and her Lord of the Rings co-stars.

Cohen asked Blanchett what the biggest paycheck of her career was.

When Cohen suggested that the likely answer would be Lord of the Rings, the Carol star answered: "Are you kidding me? No, no one got paid anything to do that movie."

When Cohen questioned whether she “got a piece of the backend,” Blanchett said: "No! That was way before any of that. No, nothing.

“I wanted to work with the guy who made Braindead,” she went on to explain. "I mean, I basically got free sandwiches, and I got to keep my [elf] ears.

"No I never got anything," Blanchett continued. "Women don’t get paid much as you think they do."

The BAFTA-winning actress' shocking claim was shared around on X, where several users simply couldn't believe that she was telling the truth.

One user wrote: "As a professional union actress myself, this is simply not true when high profile actors say this. What they should have said is, 'We didn't get paid *A LOT* of money.'

"Union rules state that everyone must get at least scale pay, which is over a thousand a day. No agent would allow an actor to work for free. She's lying here. She may have been paid scale/small amount, but they all get paid. That's literally the union rules."

Another person referenced previous statements Orlando Bloom had supposedly made about the low-pay he received from his work on the films.

"Orlando Bloom already said he only made $175k for all three movies, which is obscene considering their box office returns," they wrote. "Elijah Wood was the main star and only got $250k."

Another user chose to believe the actor's claims. "Back then, people just did favors for friends, or agreed to do a quick spot for a respected director or project," they wrote. "It wasn’t all about money. It was about creativity and passion. She got a huge boost because those movies are iconic. It boosted her career IMMENSELY."