Elizabeth Banks Talks Effie and Twilight and Hunger Games Comparison
Elizabeth Banks was recently interviewed by Express.co.uk and she talked about her inspiration for her performance as Effie Trinket, why she loves the books, and a bit about the differences she sees between ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Twilight’.
“Well, I frankly ripped off Rosalind Russell in the 1958 comedy Auntie Mame,” she admits.
“She’s one of my favourite actresses and that is one of my favourite performances. I also rewatched The Philadelphia Story because I like to remind myself of the pacing of these older films and that helped me find Effie’s voice. I knew that I wanted this kind of theatricality and the sound of the movies from the 40s but it took a few takes to feel like I was really living in her voice. The director [Gary Ross] was very patient with me.”
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“I understand why people make the comparisons because there’s a female protagonist and two guys, but they are also very different. Although the Twilight films are fun to watch I don’t know what they are saying about life generally.
“They are almost so fantastical that I’m not sure what you hold on to other than the love story. Whereas The Hunger Games is about so many things. It says something about society.”
Read the full interview over at Express.co.uk.
“…i don’t know what they are saying about life generally.” — *SNORT* oh, elizabeth.
Absolutely correct, the only thing that holds you to twilight is the love story.The romance isn’t what the book is based on.
“[...]I don’t know what they are saying about life generally[...]”
She killed me there! I absolutely LOVE HER!!!!!
I never understood the comparisons with twilight.
Yes there is a romance (and if you want to call it a “love triangle” which I dont like that term) in the story and thats the only similarities, which is not much to compare at all other than the female lead character. There is an actual greater story and a major plot other than just the romance in the Hunger Games instead in twilight. Yes the Hunger Games does heavily include themes of love and important to the story but its more than that. People should compare twilight to other ROMANCE books or movies not the Hunger Games.
I think any book or movie that comes out involving some sort of a teen romance will be compared to twilight no matter what the story is. I even saw a critic compare Spiderman to twilight, which of course is just stupid and absurd to say haha.
@knightlock spiderman to twilight!?!? A comicbook superhero and a sparkly vampire? That’s just messed up lol
@Watertribe tribute
haha I swear I saw a critic on rotten tomatoes say that. I guess there was enough romance between Gwen Stacy and Peter made it similar to twilight somehow haha
Chiming in late, but recalled this piece after seeing some very frustrating posts from self-described middle-aged males who were surprised that they liked the series when they’re “outside the target age and gender”.
The Twilight comparisons, I think, come about not just because of the presence of the love triangle, but the idea that a book series featuring a teenage girl as a main character that is written by a “girl” MUST be meant only for the teenage girl demographic, and if that’s so, it MUST be a carbon copy of Twilight, another series written by a “girl” about a girl! It shows a subtle (or not so subtle) sexism about stories that feature a young female MC, that they can all be grouped together as “the same”.
Just because there is a female protagonist and two guys who are both in love with her, doesn’t mean The Hunger Games is anything like Twilight. Sure, they are both equally addicting, that doesn’t mean anything. The Hunger Games has a semi-realistic plot. Who ever heard of real vampires? The Hunger Games has a deep lesson embeded in the nail-biting entertainment