Elizabeth Banks

“I had an audition for Mary Jane Watson in 'Spiderman' and ended up playing Betty Brant in that series. I auditioned for Amy Adams' role in 'Catch Me If You Can' and, you know, ended up playing the bank teller. So there were a lot of times early on where I felt like I was always sort of the bridesmaid, never the bride - never quite right.”

“I didn't quite believe I was pretty for a long time. I never thought about it.”

“I'm very genetically blessed; I cannot deny it, but I work hard at keeping myself together. Yes, I have nice cheekbones and skinny legs, but I can't take any credit for it.”

“These properties that get made into movies, some are easier than others. When they first said, 'Yeah, they're making a movie out of Lego,' I said, 'Lego what? What does that even mean?' And it's such a good concept.”

“Comedy often comes at the expense of others, and to do that smartly, you don't want to make fun of vulnerable people. You want to make fun of people in power, and so you need to really understand the dynamics of power.”

“I've learned all my hair and makeup tricks on the set, and I incorporate all kinds of things when I'm getting ready, and I'm big on blotting papers. I get a very shiny forehead, which I like to call my inner glow coming out.”

“Sometimes I'm sexy, and sometimes I'm not.”

“I grew up sort of lower working class. And I just didn't want to have the money struggles that my parents had. You know, I could just - as loving an environment I grew up in - and I grew up in a great home, a very loving home - but, you know, we had that stress. We had that stress in our life.”

“When you live in a leading lady's body, which I do, you have to constantly prove that you are funny.”

“I only know the lyrics to songs that I listened to between the ages of 11 and 15.”

“I'm afraid of a cappella. I don't read music, and I have a hard time harmonizing. Basically, I'm a melody singer only.”

“You have got to have an agent. It's a business. But I think there is a way to be artful and commercial at the same time.”

“Normally for photo shoots I get a full wax, some tanning, a facial.”

“I directed plays in college. It's something that I have sort of always put in the back of my mind, and I'm a busy actress, and it's very difficult to sort of find the time, honestly, to commit to directing. It's a very - it's a big, big job.”

“It's not good to put in a magazine what I weigh because it's too little. People freak out when they hear what I weigh. They think, 'Oh, you're too skinny.'”

“When you have one kid, you feel like you can jet set around, and you can throw him on the hip, and you get your life done. You don't realize how easy one is until you have two. Now I'm really a mom. Oh, I am a mom now! This is for serious - I am responsible for two people now.”

“All through my twenties, I lived in very walkable cities - Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New York.”

“Producing never stops. It's 24/7.”

“'Thank you' is often an admission that you needed something that wasn't being fulfilled or you couldn't do on your own, so you needed someone else. There is also guilt. We think, 'Well, too much time has gone by, and it doesn't matter,' but it does. It always matters.”

“I do try to eat healthy, and I find that's easiest when I just avoid the Doritos aisle at the grocery store.”