Cate Blanchett Declares the #MeToo Movement Got 'Killed Very Quickly' as She Calls Out Hollywood’s 'Systemic Layer of Abuse'

Cate Blanchett gave her two cents on the #MeToo movement that came about in 2017 while speaking on Sunday, May 17, at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

The actress told moderator Didier Allouch that she felt the campaign, which addressed sexual abuse, "got killed very quickly."

“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?" the Australian actress wondered.

"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 explained.

The Carol star noted whenever she goes on film sets, she does a "headcount" of the people present, stating "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 Ocean's 8 actress confessed.

The #MeToo movement caught wind in October 2017 when several women came forward with sexual harassment allegations against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Blanchett has been a longtime advocate for the campaign.

When she served as the Cannes jury president in 2018, she led a women’s march in response to the movement where she held hands with Kristen Stewart, Léa Seydoux and Ava DuVernay as they walked up the steps of the Palais des Festivals.

“Women are not a minority in the world, yet the current state of the industry says otherwise,” she said during the protest at the time.

“As women, we all face our own unique challenges, but we stand together on these stairs today as a symbol of our determination and commitment to progress," she went on.

"We stand today in solidarity with women of all industries," Blanchett defiantly stated. "We expect our institutions to actively provide parity and transparency in their executive bodies and provide safe environments in which to work."

The march consisted of 82 women who linked arms as they went up the red carpet-covered steps at the event.

The number refers to the amount of women who competed at the festival throughout its 86-year history up to that point in time —compared to 1,500 male directors.