Cate Blanchett is disappointed the #MeToo movement “got killed very quickly” in Hollywood.

The Australian actress questioned why the initiative – which saw a number of women in the public eye speak about their experiences of sexual misconduct in their careers – got “shut down” when it had such a power to effect change.

Speaking in conversation at the Cannes Film Festival, she said: “It got killed very quickly, which I think is interesting.

“There are a lot of people with platforms who are able to speak up with relative safety and say this has happened to me. And the so-called average woman on the street, person on the street, is saying me too. Why does that get shut down?

“What the movement revealed is a systemic layer of abuse, not only in this industry but in all industries, and if you don’t identify a problem, you can’t solve the problem.”

The 57-year-old star also highlighted how there is still a gender imbalance on film sets and thinks being in male-dominated environments has an “effect on the work”.

“I’m still on film sets and I do the headcount every day. There’s 10 women and there’s 75 men every morning,” she said.

“I love men, but what happens is the jokes become the same.

“You just have to brace yourself slightly, and I’m used to that. But it just gets boring for everybody when you walk into a homogeneous workplace. I think it has an effect on the work.”

At the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Cate was president of the jury and led a women’s march, which saw 82 females – including Kristen Stewart, Lea Seydoux and Ava DuVernay – hold hands to walk up the steps of the Palais des Festivals, highlighting the fact just 82 women had competed at Cannes up until that point in history, a stark contrast to the 1866 male directors over the same period.

She said at the time: “Women are not a minority in the world, yet the current state of the industry says otherwise.

“As women, we all face our own unique challenges, but we stand together on these stairs today as a symbol of our determination and commitment to progress.

“We are writers, producers, directors, actresses, cinematographers, talent agents, editors, distributors, sales agents and all involved in the cinematic arts.”