Cate Blanchett Hides Under Table to Avoid Awards Show Gag, and Honestly, Good for Her

It's totally fair if the attendees of award shows don't want to be part of the gags put on by the hosts, and Cate Blanchett made that loud and clear this past weekend at the 38th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards.

The ceremony, which was hosted by comedian Hasan Minhaj, was attended by many of Hollywood's biggest stars, including Blanchett, who was nominated for her performance in Tár (which also earned her an Oscar nom). During the ceremony, Minhaj tried to recruit Blanchett for a joke, but she quickly dove under the table.

It all began when Minhaj walked over to Blanchett and said, “Let's get some YouTube views!” (The show was broadcast on YouTube.) He told her, “I'm gonna throw you a few clickbait-y titles, and then you give me that YouTube thumbnail face.”

Blanchett—who looked hilariously horrified—covered her face and crawled under the table.

It seemed as if this reaction wasn't staged because Minhaj looked genuinely surprised. He looked down at the table and jokingly said, “Is she coming out the other end?”

The Blue Jasmine actress seemingly started a trend, because when Minhaj then turned to other stars, like Marisa Tomei and Regina Hall, they followed suit by ducking under the table.

Whether this was planned or unscripted, Minhaj took the moment in stride, laughing and saying, “Let's get to the next presenter.”

Well played, Cate. We'll be anxiously waiting to see if any attendees crawl under the tables at the Academy Awards.

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