Cate Blanchett has decried the impact of the #MeToo movement, suggesting it “got killed very quickly” by an industry eager to return to the status quo.
The actress’s remarks come after she came under fire online for her comments about Palestine, where she initially said it was a “sad state of affairs” that film festivals have suddenly become the place where people want to talk about conflicts, wars, and genocides happening around the world.
Blanchett has sparked renewed interest in the #MeToo movement after lamenting how quickly its impact appeared to fade.
During a recent appearance at Cannes Film Festival, the “Ocean’s 8” actress spoke with moderator Didier Allouch and reflected on how the movement “got killed very quickly” in Hollywood.
“There are a lot of people with platforms who are able to speak up with relative safety and say this has happened to me, and the so-called average woman on the street is saying #MeToo. Why does that get shut down?” Blanchett asked, per Variety.
She continued, “What [the movement] revealed is a systemic layer of abuse, not only in this industry but in all industries, and if you don’t identify a problem, you can’t solve the problem.”
Blanchett Previously Marched For #MeToo
The #MeToo movement gained viral momentum on social media in 2017 following multiple sexual abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein.
At the time, several people came forward with claims of workplace sexual abuse and harassment by powerful figures, while demanding accountability from industry leaders and executives.
According to Time magazine, the #MeToo movement resulted in the ousting, resignation, or firing of more than 400 high-profile executives and corporate leaders across various industries. Some of the most prominent figures who faced professional fallout or investigations included Bill Cosby, former Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, and Weinstein himself.
Cate Blanchett Calls Out Hollywood Gender Gap
Weighing in on the campaign’s limited impact on the industry, the two-time Oscar winner lamented that a major disparity still exists between the number of men and women working in Hollywood.
“I’m still on film sets, and I do the headcount every day, and it is still, you know… there’s ten women, and there’s 75 men every morning,” Blanchett said.
“I love men, but what happens is the jokes become the same,” she continued. “You just have to brace yourself slightly, and I’m used to that, but it just gets boring for everybody when you walk into a homogeneous workplace. I think it has an effect on the work.”
Blanchett Led 82 Women In Cannes Protest
At the 2018 march, the “Lord of the Rings” actress was one of 82 women who protested the glaring divide between men and women in Hollywood.
At the time, Blanchett explained that the number represented the 82 female directors who had competed at Cannes since the festival’s inception, compared to 1,866 male directors over the same period.
“Women are not a minority in the world, yet the current state of the industry says otherwise,” Blanchett said at the time. “As women, we all face our own unique challenges, but we stand together on these stairs today as a symbol of our determination and commitment to progress.”
Cate Blanchett Faces Backlash Over Palestine Comments
Social media users immediately took to the comment section to slam Blanchett over her remarks.
“I guess it’s unsurprising that people whose lives are all about playing make-believe are disproportionately susceptible to believing make-believe stories like the Gaza ‘genocide’ hoax,” one X user wrote.
Someone else penned, “She’s trying to sound smart but is stupid. She wishes organizations were more ‘opaque and honest.’ Opaque is the opposite of transparent. She doesn’t know the meaning of words. She should look opaque and genocide up in a dictionary.”
“Film festivals are the only place to talk about global conflicts? How out of touch are celebrities, honestly?” a third user said.
Another critic noted, “Which is precisely why actors like Cate and her fans bring it up so often at film festivals, where there is no expectation of any follow-up action but applause on camera.”
