Cate Blanchett Says ‘No One Got Paid Anything’ to Film ‘Lord of the Rings’: ‘I Basically Got Free Sandwiches’

variety.com:

Michaela Zee “The Lord of the Rings” is one of the highest-grossing film series of all time, having grossed $2.9 billion worldwide.

But, according to Cate Blanchett, that doesn’t necessarily mean the actors earned a handsome salary for their involvement in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.

During “Watch What Happens Live” on Tuesday night, host Andy Cohen asked Blanchett what film she received the biggest paycheck for. “I think it’s probably ‘Lord of the Rings,'” Cohen guessed. “Are you kidding me?” Blanchett replied. “No, no one got paid anything to do that movie.” When Cohen asked her if she “got a piece of the backend,” Blanchett replied, “No!

That was way before any of that. No, nothing.” “I wanted to work with the guy who made ‘Braindead,'” she continued, referring to Jackson’s 1992 zombie comedy film, which was released as “Dead Alive” in North America.