Cate Blanchett slams ‘patriarchal’ award shows

Cate Blanchett criticised the "patriarchal pyramid" of Hollywood awards shows as she accepted a Best Actress gong at the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The Australian actress and Oscars front runner, whose performance as an ambitious, morally dubious conductor in classical music drama Tar is sweeping awards, told a packed ballroom that she wished the whole "structure" of awards shows could be changed.

"It's like, what is this patriarchal pyramid where someone stands up here?" she said, collecting her prize from North America's largest critics organisation.

"Why don't we just say there's a whole raft of female performances that are in concert and in dialogue with one another, and stop the televised horse race of it all?

"Because can I tell you, every single woman – whether it's (in) television, film, advertising, tampon commercials, whatever – you're all out there doing amazing work that is inspiring me continually.

"So thank you. I share this with you all."

Blanchett has two Oscars for her work in Blue Jasmine (2013) and The Aviator (2004).

She won a Golden Globe for her performance as a fictional lesbian conductor in Tar last week, but did not attend that ceremony.

Several other awards shows, including the Film Independent Spirit Awards, MTV Movie & TV Awards, and music's Grammy Awards, have switched to gender-neutral acting prizes.

The Critics Choice Awards, like the Oscars and most other Hollywood shows, still divides its acting prizes between male and female categories.

Blanchett's comments came moments after Brendan Fraser gave an emotional speech in which he thanked voters for his Best Actor prize for The Whale.

Fraser, a major Hollywood star in the late 1990s and early 2000s with hits such as The Mummy trilogy (1999 to 2008), endured a long fallow period before his performance as a morbidly obese teacher in his new drama drew widespread acclaim.