Cate Blanchett on #MeToo: Movement Was 'Shut Down Very Quickly'

Cate Blanchett has weighed in on the trajectory of the #MeToo movement, suggesting it was stifled far sooner than it should have been.

The Oscar-winning actress made her remarks during a discussion at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, conversing with moderator Didier Allouch as part of the festival's "Rendez-vous with…" series—an initiative designed to bring artists and festival audiences together for intimate exchanges.

When discussing the movement's arc, Blanchett expressed frustration at how quickly momentum dissipated. "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 posed.

The actress emphasized that the movement had illuminated something crucial: "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 then turned her attention to the practical realities of working in film. She noted that despite years passing, gender representation on sets remains starkly imbalanced. "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," she observed.

She elaborated on how this disparity affects workplace dynamics and creative output: "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 conversation took place on Sunday, May 17th at 2:30pm during the festival's public programming.

Blanchett's career spans acclaimed performances in films including Tár, Carol, I'm Not There, Blue Jasmine, and Elizabeth, earning her two Academy Awards, four BAFTAs, and four Golden Globes. She has maintained a strong connection to Cannes since first attending in 1999, serving as Jury President in 2019 and previously heading the Venice Film Festival jury in 2020. Her honors include the BFI Fellowship, the Kubrick Award, the Goya Award, AACTA recognition, and the Donostia Award, along with France's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Australia's Companion of the Order of Australia.

Beyond acting, Blanchett co-leads the production company Dirty Films alongside Andrew Upton and Coco Francini. She has also established the Proof of Concept program, which champions women, trans, and non-binary filmmakers, as well as the Displacement Film Fund dedicated to supporting refugee filmmakers and those creating stories centered on displacement. At the 2026 festival, she is hosting a panel to introduce the next group of artists supported by these initiatives.

In 2018, Blanchett participated in a silent protest at Cannes alongside 82 other women, the number symbolizing the female directors competing in the festival compared to 1,866 male directors.