Charlie’s Angels reboot director Elizabeth Banks said she wasn’t trying to push a feminist “agenda” with the film, despite how media reports at the time might have made it seem.
Back in 2019, Banks’ Charlie’s Angels movie premiered in theaters, introducing a new incarnation of the titular trio played by Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska. The film was not a box office success, grossing less than $74 million after production and marketing costs had exceeded $100 million. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Banks reflected on the negative reception to Charlie’s Angels, suggesting that it may have been expectations created by the media that hurt the film more than anything else.
“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 explained. “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.”
Banks continued, “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. 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 recalled having a conversation with someone who suggested that the Charlie’s Angels film would spawn a partnership with the hair care product company Drybar. That had Banks wondering why they couldn’t also have an ad for the film air during the MLB playoffs, reiterating that the film wasn’t solely for women. With that said, Banks concluded that she learned a valuable lesson from the experience, as she noted, “It was interesting to see how the industry sees things that star women. It was a real lesson for me.”
Charlie’s Angels can currently be found streaming on both Hulu and Starz.
Source: Rolling Stone