Cate Blanchett criticises how #MeToo movement was shut down

Australian actor and producer Cate Blanchett is regretting the quick demise of the "MeToo movement".

The 57-year-old Blanchett made the remark while speaking at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, where she also touched upon politics, film, and artificial intelligence.

“It got killed very quickly which I think is interesting,” Blanchett explained. “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, person on the street, is saying me too. Why does that get shut down? Why does, why does that get shut down?"

She added that #MeToo revealed a deeper pattern of abuse not only in film but across many industries.

“What it revealed is a systemic layer of abuse, not only in this industry, but in all industries,” she continued. “And if you don’t identify a problem, you can’t solve the problem, you shut that problem down. If you shut that conversation down, you can’t move on.”

She continued, “What happens is the jokes become the same and you just have to brace yourself slightly. Now I’m used to that but it just gets a bit boring. It gets boring for everybody when you walk into a homogeneous workplace, and I think it has an effect on the work.”

While at Cannes, she also spoke about the role of film festivals in global issues. She said it is troubling that festivals are now some of the only places where major world conflicts are openly discussed. She said governments should be more honest and focused on solutions when dealing with such issues.

On artificial intelligence, Blanchett highlighted the need for human control and consent. She said she co-founded RSL Media, which is working on systems that ensure people give permission before their work or likeness is used by AI.