Cate Blanchett’s Cheeky Oscars Shoutout Leaves Julia Roberts Gobsmacked
Cate Blanchett stunned the Oscars crowd with a bold message for Julia Roberts during her acceptance speech. The story behind the moment reveals a playful pact and a year both stars were keen to forget.
When Cate Blanchett took to the stage at the Oscars to collect one of the industry’s top gongs, punters were left scratching their heads after she lobbed a rather unexpected line at Julia Roberts. The two have been mates for yonks, often crossing paths at awards nights and industry dos, but no one saw Blanchett’s on-stage quip coming. As she accepted her award, she turned to Roberts and said,
“Julia, hashtag suck it.”
The crowd was left in stitches, but also a bit confused. Was it a dig? Was there some beef bubbling away? Or just a bit of friendly banter?
Turns out, it was a mix of all three, with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek thrown in. Blanchett and Roberts, both seasoned pros with plenty of trophies between them, had made a pact before the ceremony. If either of them managed to snag a win, they’d mark the occasion with a memorable send-off to what they both reckoned was a pretty lacklustre year. Neither was particularly chuffed with 2013, so they decided to go out with a bang, Aussie style.
Inside Joke or On-Stage Antics?
After the ceremony, Blanchett was grilled about her choice of words. She played it cool, only offering,
“It happened in the bar with Ms Roberts, and that’s all I’m prepared to say.”
When pressed again, she upped the ante, staring down the camera and warning,
“Watch it, Julia, I’m coming for your ass.”
The whole thing had the air of two mates taking the mickey out of each other, rather than any real drama.
For over a year, Blanchett kept mum about the details. The moment, though, stuck in everyone’s minds – not every day you see an Oscar winner telling another A-lister to ‘suck it’ on live telly. The story finally resurfaced when Blanchett popped up on a late-night talk show, and she was happy to spill a bit more of the backstory.
Farewell to a Forgettable Year
Blanchett explained,
“It was a pretty crappy year, so it was like, ‘Farewell 2013.’ We said that if either of us had the good fortune to be up there, we had to kiss it on the ass, goodbye. I didn’t kiss her ass… I wouldn’t mind.”
Her explanation was classic Blanchett – dry, a bit cheeky, and not giving too much away. The idea was to say goodbye to a year they’d both rather forget, but the way it played out on stage was a lot more personal, with Blanchett singling out Roberts for the send-off.
It’s the sort of humour that’s right at home in Australia – a bit irreverent, not taking things too seriously, and always up for a laugh, even on the world’s biggest stage. The moment became one of those classic awards show stories, replayed and rehashed for years to come.
A Decade On: The Gag Lives
Fast forward ten years, and the joke was still alive and well. When Blanchett picked up another major award, this time for her role in ‘Tár’, Roberts was there backstage with a bottle of mouthwash in hand. The gesture was a nod to their infamous Oscars moment, and proof that the two stars are still happy to take the mickey out of each other, no matter how many trophies they’ve got on the shelf.
For anyone who’s ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at these glitzy events, Blanchett and Roberts’ running gag is a reminder that even the biggest names in the business are just as keen for a laugh as the rest of us.