Oscar-winner and Golden Globe winner Cate Blanchett struck an unusually critical note at the Critics Choice Awards.
The 53-year-old actress, who was honored on Monday night for her role in Todd Field's music drama "Tár", criticized the film critics' award as patriarchal and called for all television broadcasts of award ceremonies to be stopped.
The Australian compared her star trophy, one of the most prestigious awards in the American film industry, to a bottle of mouthwash that her fellow actress Julia Roberts had given her shortly before.
The film award, Blanchett complained on the stage at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, was less valuable than the mouthwash.
"The Best Actress award is extremely arbitrary," the actress said.
"Why don't we just say that there is a whole range of female roles that are in dialogue with each other?" The cheerful Blanchett dedicated her award to all hard-working women.
Blanchett has been nominated for an Academy Award seven times, winning the award in 2005 for her supporting role in Aviator and in 2014 for her leading role in Blue Jasmine.
She was awarded a Golden Globe four times out of twelve, most recently also for her role in "Tár".
She did not attend the Globes ceremony – it was said that she could not tear herself away from filming in England.
At the Critics Choice Awards, the sci-fi comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once was the big winner, with five awards including Best Picture.
The duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert also received awards for best direction and Ke Huy Quan for best supporting actor.
Brendan Fraser, who in "The Whale" as a severely overweight man is struggling with the loss of a great love, was voted best actor.
The Critics Choice Awards are important critics' film awards.
They are selected by over 500 members of the CCA from the USA and Canada.
This time the US comedian Chelsea Handler was the hostess on the stage.