"The #MeToo movement died too quickly": Cate Blanchett directly addresses the reality of gender equality in Hollywood at Cannes

*This content was translated by AI.

New film features the role of 'Martha Stewart' ... "On set, there were 10 women and 75 men; the men always tell the same jokes."

Two-time Oh Seu-ka-reul (수상) winner actress Cate Blanchett (57) drew attention on the stage of the Cannes Film Festival for strongly criticizing the decline of the Hollywood #MeToo movement and the persistent gender inequality.

On the 17th (local time), during a conversation with host Didier Allouch at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, Blanchett said, "That movement died very quickly. I think it is interesting." She added, "People with platforms can relatively safely say 'I was also a victim,' but ordinary women on the streets are also shouting #MeToo. Why are their voices being ignored?" She sharply pointed this out.

She further emphasized, "If we do not identify the problem, we cannot solve it. If we shut down that conversation, we cannot move forward." While the #MeToo movement created a wave of temporary change, the structural power imbalance in Hollywood remains unresolved.

Blanchett presented the reality she witnesses on film sets with specific numbers. "I am still on film sets today and I count the personnel every day. Every morning there are 10 women and 75 men," she said. She then added, "I like men, but the problem is that all the jokes are the same. If you enter a homogeneous workplace, everyone gets bored, and this affects the work as well."

Blanchett's core argument is the reality that while celebrities can raise their voices, ordinary women trapped within power structures are still forced into silence. Fox News quoted her remarks, warning that "structural layers of abuse across Hollywood remain unresolved."

Blanchett's remarks carry even greater weight as they are intertwined with her personal history. In 2018, when the #MeToo movement reached its peak, she served as Shim Sa-wi (Director) at Cannes and led a red carpet protest with 81 women, including Kristen Stewart and Agnès Varda. At the time, only 82 female directors were selected for the Cannes competition section, while 1,866 male directors were selected, a performance protesting the extreme imbalance.

She emphasized, "Women make up half the world's population, but the reality in the industry is not so," repeatedly highlighting that gender imbalance leads not just to a statistical issue but to cultural and creative stagnation.

Meanwhile, during this conversation, Blanchett also revealed her next project. She announced she will star in a biographical film about Martha Stewart, famous as a cooking and household goods expert. The work covers Stewart's tumultuous life, who was convicted of insider trading in 2004 and served five months in prison. Major outlets such as Variety and The Washington Post reported on her remarks, reigniting discussions on the current state of the #MeToo movement.

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*This content was translated by AI.