Sometimes making a movie comes with a lot of challenges, especially when the plot or the cast doesn’t fit the long-running convention. There is still a group of movie-goers that do not agree with female-led movies, but the times are still changing.
Garry Ross’ Ocean’s 8 (2018) can be used as an example that cast top-tier female actresses but couldn’t appeal to the wider audience, as well as the critics.
Just a year later, Spider-Man actress Elizabeth Banks attempted another such project. While it put the actress-turned-director in a tough spot, she never misses a chance to defend it.
Switching to acting – The Beanie Bubble on Apple TV+ explores a similar narrative. And while the media has shown a special interest in her projects, she always comes back with answers.
Elizabeth Banks Talked About Losing Control Of The Narrative
Expressing her love for the franchise, Banks told Rolling Stone in a conversation that the media framed her as an agent of feminism because she wanted the world to see the powerful story that Charlie’s Angels (2019) wanted to tell.
“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,” said Banks.
She also talked about how Hollywood can be harsh at times and media powerhouses can spin the entire narrative in their favor.
“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.”
Headlining the project and directing it on top of that was definitely a challenge for Elizabeth Banks. She felt that all her efforts to connect the story to the audience turned out to be a “real lesson.”
Read more: “Maybe someday”: Spider-Man Star Elizabeth Banks Wants To Jump Ship To DCU for Catwoman Movie
Did Elizabeth Banks Compare Charlie’s Angels To Mission: Impossible?
One of the major causes of her film tanking at the box office, according to her, was that it had been presented under the impression that it was for a female audience only.
In a conversation with The New York Times, the 49-year-old director said that Hollywood isn’t really ready to accept female-led action films.
“I was just making an action movie. I would’ve liked to have made Mission: Impossible, but women aren’t directing Mission: Impossible.”
It seems as if Elizabeth Banks may never be able to hide from the daunting questions regarding Charlie’s Angels. She said to Collider –
“I honestly feel that the property has all of the bona fides of feminism already built in. There was not this gendered agenda from me.”
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Going through a sour patch, Elizabeth Banks expressed that she may not take the risky venture of making a sequel, which could even sabotage her filmmaking career.
The Beanie Bubble was released on July 21 and is currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Source: Bounding Into Comics
