Cate Blanchett thinks the topic of gender equality in Hollywood is like Groundhog Day.
The Australian actress is no stranger to taking centre stage on the big screen, boasting two Oscars and three Golden Globes among her award wins. Things have changed a lot since Cate first entered the industry in the early '90s, with the topic of pay difference between male and female actors hot at the moment, but she can't help but feel times should have changed by now.
"It does feel a bit like Groundhog Day, where every year you'll have the conversation, 'This is a great year, lots of strong roles for women,' and you'll think there's always great performances by women, they just have to pick through a lot of rubbish to find them," she explained to Empire magazine, referring to the Bill Murray movie which sees him live out the same day several times. "I do think that the language around it is finally changing and that's in your camp too. But it's still remarked upon - the very fact we're still sitting here in 2015 having this conversation. (But now) it's less like you're made to feel like your whinging and more that you're stating fact. There has been a lag where women felt they shouldn't talk about this as they didn't want to be seen to be self-interested or complaining and therefore uninteresting to work with."
At the end of the day, Cate points out that anyone in the industry should be paid equally for equal work. She's taken interest in Jennifer Lawrence's open letter on the subject and has praised the young actress for her bravery in speaking out.
"I applaud her saying that because, forget the film industry for one moment, it encourages women in other industries to say, 'You know what, I'm not receiving equal pay for work here,'" she added. "The point (Jennifer makes) is, I'm drawing a lot of attention into this film - as much as the men. We're all doing equal work."
