Australian acting royalty Cate Blanchett has claimed that “no one got paid anything” for Lord of the Rings.

The 55-year-old actress played Galadriel in the big-screen adaptations of JRR Tolkien’s epic novel series, which grossed nearly $US3 billion ($4.6 billion) worldwide.

But when it was suggested that move was her “biggest” pay cheque to date, she insisted that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Are you kidding me? No, no one got paid anything to do that movie,” Blanchett told US TV chat show host Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live.

Cohen then asked the Oscar-winning star if she received a piece of the back-end – a term meaning that actors receive a percentage of box office profits on a film’s release. But she insisted that wasn’t the case, and that her only motivation to do the film was to work with director Peter Jackson.

“No, that was way before any of that … no, nothing. I wanted to work with the guy who made Braindead. I mean, I basically got free sandwiches and I got to keep my [prosthetic] ears. No, no one got paid anything!” Blanchett said.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s unlikely that Blanchett really did work on the LOTR films for free – though it is possible she also wasn’t highly paid for the roles. THR reports that co-star Orlando Bloom once said he received only $US175,000 ($267,000) for his role  in the trilogy.

“It was the greatest gift of my life. I’d do it again for half the money,” he said.

Cohen also asked the Tar actress – who has a reported net worth of net worth of $95 million – what her biggest pay cheque has been. She remained coy, insisting only that women tend not to make the huge sums of money within the entertainment industry that may be expected or assumed by the masses.

“Well, not very often. Women don’t get paid as much as you think they do,” she said.

Earlier this year, during a United Nations press conference at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Blanchett she described herself as a “middle-class” woman with a vested interest in helping others.

Asked about her experience as a UN goodwill ambassador and giving refugee filmmakers a platform, she said: “I’m white, I’m privileged, I’m middle class, and I think, you know, one can be accused of having a bit of a white saviour complex, but to be perfectly honest, my interaction with the refugees in the field and also in resettled environments has totally changed my perspective on the world.”

Blanchett was on Watch What Happens Live to promote her latest film, Borderlands.

-with AAP