Elizabeth Banks on Charlie’s Angels: Women Are The Audience and The Message Is To “Believe Women”
Director Elizabeth Banks is already starting to make the press rounds for her upcoming Charlie’s Angels films and in one of her most recent interviews she claims the movie is to send the message, “Believe women.”
Speaking with Collider, Banks makes clear that her film will send a message and that message is to “believe women.”
“One of the statements this movie makes is that you should probably believe women. We have as much validity in what we’re feeling and how we want to go about living in the world, being in the world, and that was really important to me, that we felt like we had characters that were being taken seriously and given a chance to live their best life.”
On the subject of believing women, the director would also point to the origins of the franchise, to highlight its feminist roots.
“I honestly feel that the property has all of the bona fides of feminism already built in. I really didn’t have to do much other than honor its entire history. By that I mean, the original TV show was about women who went to the police academy but then were not allowed to actually be full police officers. They were given the jobs of desk clerk or meter maid.”
Elizabeth Banks would then be asked about one of the franchises best-known factors, how it handles women’s sexuality. She makes clear that early in the film, they “dismiss” it out right, and from what we saw in the trailer this appears to be the case.
“We don’t really – we play with that trope and then we dismiss it pretty early on in the movie. The women in this film use their brains and their wits. We had a mantra which was we are going to fight smarter, not harder.”
Banks would further elaborate that she wanted people to “feel awesome and comfortable” on set and thus allowed them to wear what made them feel that way.
“That was how we approached most of the action sequences in the movie. The women in the film, for instance, I had another mantra on set which was everybody gets to wear what they feel awesome and comfortable wearing and what they want to strut around in this movie. Whatever makes her feel best coming to set. That was the attitude we had about how we shot the film.”
Banks also noted that the film will not include a romance subplot. A theme that was seen in both the original TV show as well as the films from the 2000s.
“There’s not a big romance particularly in the movie – we have a little romance in the movie. But the movie is really about the women working together and solving a crime story and helping Naomi Scott’s character take down a big corporation.”
Banks would go on to discuss that when she was specifically looking for a “diverse” cast for the film. She also noted that the audience for the film is women.
“When we were casting the movie, I wanted really fresh faces. I wanted a diverse cast. It’s important that women, the audience for this movie, sees themself in some part of this movie. I think that’s really important. I want the audience to feel a sense of ownership over the film, that they could be in this movie, that they could live in this world, it’s a real message. It’s a movie that I want to entertain all audiences but I did want to make something that felt important to women and especially young girls.”
Banks comments should be shocking, but they aren’t. Last year Charlie’s Angels actress Kristin Stewart described the film last October as “woke” during an interview with Variety.
“God, it’s so funny. I know if I say this a certain way, I know that this will be written down. But it’s not such a bad thing. It’s kind of like a ‘woke’ version.”
What do you think of what Elizabeth Banks’s comments about the upcoming Charlie’s Angels film? Are you surprised by any of her statements? Do you think the film will do well at the box office? Does it encourage you to see the film? Let me know your thoughts!
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