Cate Blanchett has left fans reevaluating their lives after the multimillionaire actress claimed she was “middle class.”
Blanchett attended a United Nations press conference on Monday during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The Thor: Ragnarok star was asked about her role as a goodwill ambassador and her efforts to provide a platform for refugee filmmakers.
At first, the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull alum stated the obvious. “I’m white,” she declared very correctly. She then added with some self-awareness, “I’m privileged.”
However, her next self-descriptor sent a record scratch moment heard around the pop culture sphere. “I’m middle class,” she said confidently, likely to the bewilderment of the entire panel and those in attendance.
Blanchett breezed through her “middle class” status by adding, “I think, you know, one can be accused of having a bit of a white savior 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, an activist for humanitarian causes, expressed gratitude for her experience. She urged others with a platform to engage with communities meaningfully. “I’ve met some extraordinary people with extraordinary creative talents and amazing perspectives,” Blanchett added.
While Cate Blanchett’s comments about refugees were well-intentioned, her “middle class” drop raised a lot of eyebrows. After all, the actress has starred in high-profile films for nearly three decades and has a reported net worth of $95 million.
Fans Drag Cate Blanchett For Her Middle Class Claims
Of course, footage of Blanchett claiming to be middle class, originally shared by the Associated Press, found its way to all corners of social media.
“Under no circumstances is a net worth of $95 million middle class!!!,” an outraged TikTok denizen wrote under the footage.
“Cate Blanchett referring to herself as middle class has me cry laughing,” another fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Cate Blanchett is ‘middle class’…and I am a giraffe,” another X user quipped.
However, some fans rushed to the Lord of the Rings star’s defense. “It’s so sad that the comments section is just angry people sniping her for saying she’s “middle class”’, a TikTok user wrote. “I believe she’s talking about her roots. Regardless, good for her for speaking up,” they added.
Another TikTok user reasoned that Cate merely considers herself middle class in regards to her A-List peers. “I was gonna jump on that “middle class” comment but then I realised there are Masters of the Universe, with multiple billions – upper class.”
“Then upper middle class I guess with 100s of mils and then lower middle class with 100s of thousands. All else are really working class now,” they offered.