Cate Blanchett: #MeToo Movement Was "Killed Quickly," Gender Imbalance Persists on Sets

Cate Blanchett has reflected on the progress of the #MeToo movement, suggesting it got “killed very quickly”.

Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival over the weekend, the star further revealed that she still goes on film sets where there are a minority of women.

“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?” she said during a talk at the festival (via Variety ).

“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 added: “I’m still on film sets and I do the headcount every day, and it is still, you know… there’s 10 women and there’s 75 men every morning.

“I love men, but what happens is the jokes become the same. 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.”

The double Oscar-winner famously led a women’s march at the 2018 edition of Cannes when she was jury president, which occurred at the height of the #MeToo movement. There, 82 women walked the red carpet hand in hand, representing the number of female directors who had competed at the festival up to that point, relative to the 1,866 male directors.

Meanwhile, last year Blanchett revealed she had seriously considered giving up acting as she reflected on her struggles with fame.

“My family roll their eyes every time I say it, but I mean it. I am serious about giving up acting,” she told Radio Times . “[There are] a lot of things I want to do with my life.”

“When you go on a talk show, or even here now, and then you see soundbites of things you’ve said, pulled out and italicised, they sound really loud…I’m not that person,” she added.

“I make more sense in motion – it’s been a long time to remotely get comfortable with the idea of being photographed. I’ve always felt like I’m on the periphery of things, so I’m always surprised when I belong anywhere. I go with curiosity into whatever environment that I’m in, not expecting to be accepted or welcomed. I’ve spent a lifetime getting comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable.”

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