An interview with Elizabeth Banks in the New York Times, linked to the release of her new film Call Jane, morphed for a time into a confrontation with an older film that Banks directed, Charlie’s Angels. .
Banks called it “a long conversation that I don’t know I want to get into.”
At the urging of interviewer David Marchese, Banks stated that she was proud of the film and the actors in it. She then pushed back on what she sees as the narrative that developed over the film.
“There was a story about Charlie’s Angels that I was doing a feminist manifesto. I just shot an action movie,” Banks said simply. “I would have loved to do Mission: Impossible, but Mission: Impossible isn’t directed by women. Honestly, I was able to direct an action movie because it had women in it and I’m a director, and that’s the limit in Hollywood right now. I wish the film wasn’t just made for girls because I didn’t make it just for girls. On the marketing side, there was a hiatus for me.”
When asked about the paradigm that put her in that “girls-only” box, Banks refused to explain the limitations imposed by others. Instead, she relayed the question to the Times interviewer.
“I would appreciate if you would interview the studio leaders and the companies and ask them these questions because I can’t solve them. I put my head down and show these big corporations that if they give women the opportunity to do this job, they can make a good product that will make them a profit. It’s a male-dominated industry. It’s a male-dominated world. I’m dealing with this, but I can’t solve it and I don’t really want to analyze it. It’s not interesting to me. It honestly puts me in a position where the studio executive is going to read it in the New York Times and be like, ‘Wow, that Liz Banks has a lot to say.’ I don’t need that extra pressure. I really feel like it’s dangerous to talk about these things now.”
She continued, “I’m not trying to shirk my responsibilities. I just want the framing device around me to not always look like I’m some kind of feminist activist.”
Again, Banks tried to steer the conversation from the 2019 film to her new project.
“Look, I made a political artwork called Call Jane. It’s about women’s reproductive justice. I understand that this is a topic of conversation.”
“I’m asking about these things because I’m interested,” Marchese replied.
“I appreciate that,” Banks replied, before explaining that her involvement goes a little bit beyond interest. “I can talk to you about feminist issues all day, but you’ll never have a deep understanding because it’s not something that’s happening in your life… It’s an intellectual exercise for you, and it’s an emotional exercise for me.” It’s the parameters in which I live my life, do my job.”