Elizabeth Banks says there was no 'gendered agenda' with her 2019 'Charlie's Angels' reboot movie
- Elizabeth Banks spoke to Rolling Stone about the reaction to her 2019 "Charlie's Angels" film.
- Banks, who directed and starred, said the movie was perceived as a "feminist manifesto."
Elizabeth Banks reflected on her 2019 "Charlie's Angels" movie and the perception that it was a "feminist manifesto."
"For me, regardless of what the actual product was, so much of the story that the media wanted to tell about 'Charlie's Angels' was that it was some feminist manifesto," Banks, who wrote, directed, and starred as Bosley in the movie, told Rolling Stone in an interview published Friday.
Banks' 2019 reboot starred Kristen Stewart, Ella Balinska, and Naomi Scott as the titular agents. The film followed in the footsteps of the "Charlie's Angels" TV show that aired from 1976 to 1981 and the two films released in 2000 and 2003, which starred Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu.
Banks told Rolling Stone that she was frustrated that the media focused on the fact that she was the franchise's first female director.
"I just loved the franchise," she said. "There was not this gendered agenda from me."
Banks said that the movie was perceived to be catered to women, which limited the audience it drew in. The film ultimately received mixed reviews and was a box office flop.
"That was very much laid on top of the work, and it was a little bit of a bummer," the "Beanie Bubble" star continued. "It felt like it pigeonholed me and the audience for the movie. To lose control of the narrative like that was a real bummer. You realize how the media can frame something regardless of how you've framed it."
Banks also recalled that the film's marketing was geared toward 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 — and I was like, 'Alright… but could we have an ad during the baseball playoffs? It's not only this one thing.'" she said. "It was interesting to see how the industry sees things that star women. It was a real lesson for me."