Cate Blanchett: Mother stereotypes are 'complete rubbish'

The Oscar-winning actress said pressure is heaped on working mothers

Cate Blanchett attends the How To Train Your Dragon 2 premiere during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival on 16 May, 2014 in Cannes, France (Gareth Cattermole/Getty)

Cate Blanchett has criticised the stereotypes used to judge mothers, calling them “complete rubbish”.

Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, the Blue Jasmine actress said there is too much pressure placed on working mothers, The Telegraph reported.

Ms Blanchett, who has three sons, said that men do not face the same kind of scrutiny that sees women cast as certain “archetypes”.

She told the newspaper: “It's certainly a question that's never asked of men. The question is only ever directed towards of women.

“How do you balance? How do you have it all?”

The double Oscar winner, whose latest role in How to Train Your Dragon 2 is that of a mother, said that playing the character came with an additional “raft of judgement”.

“When anyone plays a mother on film, there is a whole raft of judgment in that a mother is a particular archetype or that every mother is the same,” she said.

“That's complete rubbish. We did discuss a lot about that particular issue because of course there is a judgment on how women parent.

“The film actually deals with it really beautifully and deeply and emotionally.”

And Ms Blanchett criticised the constant fixation with a woman’s age or beauty, at the expense of more pertinent issues.

“We live in a world where there is still not equal pay for equal work,” she said.

“I still don't understand in 2014 why that is the case. I'm not just talking about the industry in which we work, it's every industry.

“I'm an actress at a film festival. I can cope with the questions, I'm a big girl.

“But it does surprise me that we're still asking those questions.”

The Australian actress added that on occasion she found the scrutiny directed at her on the red carpet “a little bit rude”, but she praised Cannes.

“The wonderful thing about Cannes is that it understands event,” she said.

“Part of the event is dressing up and it's fabulous.”