Cate Blanchett shocks fans by revealing how much she really made in the $2 billion box office blockbuster Lord of the Ring franchise

Cate Blanchett is opening up about how little she actually made filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The 55-year-old Aussie actress was promoting her highly-anticipated Borderlands movie on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live on Wednesday with her co-star Gina Gershon.

She participated in a game called Plead the 5th, when host Andy Cohen asked what movie got her the biggest paycheck, and he guessed Lord of the Rings, where she played the elf Galadriel.

Blanchett - who recently opened up about solar panels on her home - was stunned, stating, 'Are you kidding me? No, nobody got paid anything to do that movie.'

When Cohen asked if she got, 'a piece of the back end' on the trilogy that grossed over $2 billion worldwide, Blanchett said, 'No! That was way before any of that, nothing. I wanted to work with the guy who made Braindead. I mean, I basically got free sandwiches and I got to keep my ears.'

Cate Blanchett is opening up about how little she actually made filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy

She participated in a game called Plead the 5th, when host Andy Cohen asked what movie got her the biggest paycheck, and he guessed Lord of the Rings, where she played the elf Galadriel

Braindead was director Peter Jackson's 1992 horror-comedy that was released under the title Dead Alive, and is considered among the most gory films of all time.

When asked if she recalls the movie where she did earn the most, Blanchett said, 'Women don't get paid as much as you think they do.'

Movie salaries typically aren't public record, so while it's unlikely she actually did the movie for free, her pay clearly wasn't too high.

Back in October 2013, a report from We Got This Covered shed some light on some of the stars' reported salaries, though they have not been confirmed, and Blanchett's salary is one of many that isn't included.

The report does claim, though, that Orlando Bloom (Legolas) earned just $175,000 for all three films, while Sean Astin (Samwise Gangee) earned $250,000. 

Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins) reportedly earned $250,000 for the first film, but it had jumped to $1 million for the third film.

Blanchett was one of the few actors to appear in all three of the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies, which were all filmed concurrently in a rather unprecedented manner.

All three films shot from October 1999 to December 2000 at a combined budget of $289 million... which, when adjusted for inflation would be $530 million in 2024 dollars. 

When asked if she recalls the movie where she did earn the most, Blanchett said, 'Women don't get paid as much as you think they do'

Movie salaries typically aren't public record, so while it's unlikely she actually did the movie for free, her pay clearly wasn't too high

Blanchett was one of the few actors to appear in all three of the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies, which were all filmed concurrently in a rather unprecedented manner

The huge gamble paid off, with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King - becoming commercial and critical hits.

The trilogy earned a combined $2.9 billion at the worldwide box office, each film released in simultaneous Decembers from 2001 to 2003. 

Blanchett plays Lilith in Borderlands, based on the hit video game series that has brought in over $1 billion in revenue and is one of the best-selling franchises in gaming history.

The film also stars Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Edgar Ramirez, Florian Munteanu, Arianna Greenblatt and Janina Gavankar, with Jack Black as the voice of Claptrap.