Elizabeth Banks’ feature directorial debut was a smash hit. “Pitch Perfect 2” grossed more than $184 million in the U.S. — one of the highest-earning woman-directed films ever. Now the actress-director-producer is taking on another female-led franchise, switching gears from portraying ultra-competitive a cappella groups to crime-fighting private detectives with a “Charlie’s Angels” reboot. Banks’ career — onscreen and off — is soaring, and she’s made supporting other women in the industry part of her work’s mission.
The Hollywood Reporter recently asked the “Hunger Games” alumna if she’s specifically looking for female directors to helm the projects she’s producing. Given that she’s the co-founder of WhoHaha, a comedy platform for female creators, her answer comes as no surprise.
“We look for female directors and female writers,” Banks said of her production company, Brownstone Productions. “We work with a lot of female voices. And we work with guys, too. We’re not anti-man. We always keep that list very open and fluid. For me to feel like I’m actually making a difference in our business requires action and not just talking about it. So we’re always looking for a great fit for material, but as best we can we approach a lot of women,” she explained.
Based on what she’s said — and done — Banks is invested in paying it forward, and working to improve the opportunities available to other female filmmakers.
Banks described directing as something she’s “always wanted to do” in the interview. She directed plays in college. “I’m very bossy, and I got to a point as an actor where I’d been on 65 or 70 sets. I always find video village. I’m that annoying actor. I never stayed in my trailer,” she said. “Doing TV and film, it’s always been a learning experience. I love now — with a movie like ‘Charlie’s Angels’ — getting to do action and visual effects, and I loved on ‘Pitch Perfect’ the huge challenge of making a movie musical. I mean, that’s no small feat. It’s a big job, and I like the constant challenge.”
Head over to THR to check out the full interview. Banks touches on why she got involved with “Charlie’s Angels,” how she decides whether she wants to act in or produce projects, and the responsibility she feels to tell certain kinds of stories. “Charlie’s Angels” is expected to bow in 2018.
