Cate Blanchett says 'MeToo got killed very quickly' in Hollywood
What's the story
Academy Award-winning actor Cate Blanchett has expressed disappointment over the rapid decline of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, she said that despite many people speaking up about their experiences, gender equality and women's safety issues on American film sets remain unchanged. "It got killed very quickly, which I think is interesting. I'm still on film sets, and I do the headcount every day," she shared.
Gender imbalance
Gender disparity on film sets
Blanchett, who has been an advocate for gender equality, pointed out the stark gender disparity on film sets. "There are 10 women, and there are 75 men every morning," she said. "I love men, but what happens is the jokes become the same. You just have to brace yourself slightly... it just gets boring for everybody when you walk into a homogeneous workplace."
Movement's decline
Why has #MeToo movement been silenced?
Blanchett also questioned why the #MeToo movement, which started in 2017 after numerous women spoke out against abuse and harassment in Hollywood, has been silenced. "There are a lot of people with platforms who are able to speak up with relative safety and say this has happened to me," she said. "And the so-called average woman on the street, person on the street, is saying MeToo. Why does that get shut down?"
Activism
Blanchett actively participated in #MeToo movement
Blanchett has been an active participant in the #MeToo movement. In 2018, she was the president of the jury at Cannes and participated in a red-carpet protest with 81 other women. They stood on the steps of Palais des Festivals to symbolize the number of female directors selected for Cannes's competition lineup compared to their male counterparts.
Similar sentiments
Julianne Moore also addressed gender disparity issue
Actor Julianne Moore also addressed the issue of gender disparity on film sets at Cannes. She shared her experience of being one of only two women on a set around 2016. "I can remember being on a set not too long ago where the only women were me and the third AC [assistant camera]," she recalled. However, she noted that there has been an improvement in gender representation in crews over the past decade.