Cate Blanchett Recalls When Actresses Had 5-Year “Shelf Life”

With more than 30 years of acting and producing experience, Cate Blanchett is as busy as ever.

The 2x Oscar winner recently commented on the “ageism and sexism” that comes with Hollywood, explaining how the industry has evolved for women of a certain age since she began acting.

“The shelf life of actresses when I first came on the scene was about five years,” she told Business Insider.

“I think that female producers have more agency,” added Blanchett of the current state of women in Hollywood. “There’s more females in the writing room, and the more diverse the industry is at base level, when things are developed, the more exciting it is for audiences.”

Since her Oscar-nominated breakout performance as Queen Elizabeth I in 1998’s Elizabeth, Blanchett has surpassed 100 onscreen credits, in addition to producing several projects, including Carol (2015), FX’s Mrs. America (2020), Tár (2022), Rumours (2024) and her 2024 Apple TV+ series Disclaimer.

Blanchett is currently pulling double-duty as star and producer of the Zellner brothers’ upcoming alien invasion comedy Alpha Gang, which also stars Dave Bautista, Steven Yeun, Zoë Kravitz, Léa Seydoux, Riley Keough and Channing Tatum.