Cate Blanchett says award for Iranian actress is to ‘stab’ anyone who blocks women’s rights: ‘Up the vajajay!’

22 May 2023

Cate Blanchett said the presentation of an award to Iranian actress Zahra Amir Ebrahim was to “stab” anyone who blocked women’s rights.

Cate Blanchett said the presentation of an award to Iranian actress Zahra Amir Ebrahim was to ‘stab’ anyone who blocked women’s rights

The ‘Tár’ double-Oscar winner, 54, who has been outspoken about winning equality for actresses, made the statement at the Variety and Golden Globes’ Cannes Film Festival bash.

Presenting a pointy-shaped award at the event to Zahra, 41, Cate declared: “This is to stab all the people who stand in the way of women’s rights.”

She then held the trophy by her crotch and moved it skyward, saying: “Up the vajajay!”

Cate also took her shoes off on the stage “in honour of the women of Iran”.

Zahra, who stars in the film ‘Holy Spider’, went on to give an emotional speech saying Iran is in the grip of a “time of sorrow, of anger, and of grief”, amid protests in the nation led by women against the government, prompting some experts to say a regime change is in the cards.

She added: “I always thought being an actress was a paradox: serving the emotions of your own and being a flag or mirror or light. This award celebrates this paradox.”

Mum-of-four Cate, who has three sons and a daughter with her producer husband Andrew Upton, 57, also declared during Cannes she thinks it’s “hard” to get paid as an actress.

She added she gets frustrated money discussions on film projects are not as “transparent” as other aspects of the production process.

Cate said at her Kering Women in Motion talk at the Cannes Film Festival alongside her producing partner Coco Francini: “It’s hard to get paid as an actress… we’re open about all the other aspects of the process (except money)… I think the more transparent all that stuff, the more you can work out how the money is flowing and where it needs to flow and where it’s not flowing yet.”

Cate added about previously being shocked at the lack of women on sets: “We’ve both had experiences where we walked on set and done the headcount and you wonder why you sort of slightly feel alienated and annoyed some days.

“I realise that I’m the only woman in the cast… there at 62 men, and yep, I’m the only woman. This ratio is bad… it’s really disproportionate.

“And it means you’re always laughing at the same jokes. I do have a really good sense of humour, but it’s like, let’s change it up.”