Elizabeth Banks Got Told ‘You Can’t Direct Men’ Because ‘They Won’t Follow You’ as a Woman Filmmaker

Home Film News Apr 23, 2026 2:08pm PT Elizabeth Banks Got Told ‘You Can’t Direct Men’ Because ‘They Won’t Follow You’ as a Woman Filmmaker By Zack Sharf Plus Icon Zack Sharf Digital News Director ZSharf Latest Elizabeth Banks Got Told ‘You Can’t Direct Men’ Because ‘They Won’t Follow You’ as a Woman Filmmaker 7 minutes ago Leonardo DiCaprio Sent Baskets of Pasta to Nikki Glaser After She Roasted Him for Dating Women Under 30 and Never Revealing Info About His Life 6 hours ago ‘Iron Man’ Director Jon Favreau Tried to Stop Tony Stark’s Death in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ but Now Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ 23 hours ago See All Gilbert Flores/Variety Elizabeth Banks recently appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” to promote her Peacock comedy series “The Miniature Wife” and was asked about times she was made to feel small as an actor, director and producer in Hollywood. She didn’t hesitate to remember being told that she could not direct male actors if she were to step behind the camera. “I was literally told because I direct films that, ‘You can’t direct men. They won’t follow you,'” Banks said. “And then I directed Ray Liotta, who played Henry Hill in ‘Goodfellas,’ and I think I nailed it. Check. It’s all good.” Banks has directed major Hollywood studio movies such as “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “Cocaine Bear,” the latter of which co-starred Liotta and grossed $90 million worldwide in 2023. The “Pitch Perfect” sequel was a worldwide hit with $287 million worldwide, while the “Charlie’s Angels” reboot in 2019 stumbled with $73 million. Banks has been honest in past interviews about her frustration over “Charlie’s Angels” being reduced to a chick flick by the media. She told The New York Times in 2022 that she wished the film’s marketing “had not been presented as just for girls,” later telling Rolling Stone that’s the only perspective the media was interested in perpetuating anyway. Popular on Variety “So much of the story that the media wanted to tell about ‘Charlie’s Angels’ was that it was some feminist manifesto,” Banks said. “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 recalled having to ask for the film to be promoted to men and not just 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. “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.” When asked by Kelly Clarkson if being told she can’t direct man only adds fuel to her fire to do just that, Banks responded: “Yeah, of course!” Watch Banks’ full interview on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in the video below. Read More About: Cocaine Bear, Elizabeth Banks, The Miniature Wife Jump to Comments More from Variety Meta Laying Off 8,000 Employees, 10% of Workforce, Amid Surge in Spending on AI Instagram to Sell Reels Ads for Viral TV and Movies Content, ‘Cultural Moments’ Like NFL Games and Black Friday Loading comments...