Elizabeth Banks discusses the “gendered agenda” of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ reboot
Elizabeth Banks, discussing her 2019 reboot of Charlie’s Angels, has claimed that the media was behind the “gendered agenda” of the movie. Notably, the action-comedy stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska and was a box office flop.
During an interview with The New York Times, Banks reflected on the film and explained how she wished that the marketing “had not been presented as just for girls”. In her new interview, she picked up this account and maintained that it was the only narrative the media wanted to spread regardless.
Elizabeth Banks’ latest comments come in an extensive discussion with Rolling Stone. “So much of the story that the media wanted to tell about Charlie’s Angels was that it was some feminist manifesto,” she said.
She continued: “People kept saying, ‘You’re the first female director of Charlie’s Angels!‘ And I was like, ‘They’ve only done a TV show and McG’s movies … what are you talking about? There’s not this long legacy.’ I just loved the franchise. There was not this gendered agenda from me. That was very much laid on top of the work, and it was a little bit of a bummer. It felt like it pigeonholed me and the audience for the movie.”
“To lose control of the narrative like that was a real bummer,” Banks added. “You realize how the media can frame something regardless of how you’ve framed it. I happen to be a woman who directed a Charlie’s Angels movie that happened to star three incredible women. You can’t control the media saying, ‘You’re a lady director, and that’s special!’ — which it is, but it’s not the only thing.”
Banks also claimed that she had to personally ask for the movie to be promoted to men and women. “I remember having a conversation with someone who was like, ‘You guys are going to have a partnership with Drybar’ — which is, like, a hair-blowing thing,” Banks said.
The actor and director added: “And I was like, ‘Alright… but could we have an ad during the baseball playoffs? It’s not only this one thing.’ It was interesting to see how the industry sees things that star women. It was a real lesson for me.”
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