“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.”

American actress and filmmaker

Elizabeth Banks is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games film series from 2012 to 2015 and an ICCA commentator in the Pitch Perfect films from 2012 to 2017. She made her feature directorial debut with Pitch Perfect 2 in 2015, and the film’s $69 million opening weekend set a record for a first-time director. Banks later directed Charlie’s Angels in 2019 and Cocaine Bear in 2023. In 2002, she founded Brownstone Productions with her husband, Max Handelman.