'Charlie's Angels' director Elizabeth Banks says reboot shows what women are capable of
Elizabeth Banks is celebrating her role as director for the reboot of "Charlie's Angels."
The original TV series featuring female private detectives debuted in 1976 and was later spun into action films. Banks told "Good Morning America" that she grew up watching reruns of the show.
"I wanted to be Kate Jackson who didn't?" Banks said. "Who hasn't done the pose and the idea that these women were beauties with brains, who were kicking butt in an industry doing a job that was traditionally done by men. It was very revolutionary, and I felt like we needed to remind people, even today, that women's opportunities and what they're capable of, the sky's the limit. That's the point."
The new film stars Banks as Bosley and angels Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska.
Since the other women in the film did not grow up on the "Charlie's Angels" series, Banks said they did some research to get into character.
"They were big fans of the movies that Drew Barrymore made with Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu which are also completely iconic and incredible," Banks added. "We took a lot of inspiration from all of it -- from everything that came before and I feel like as a filmmaker, as a feminist, as a woman I'm standing on the shoulders of all the women that came before me in my industry and this movie is really about that."
"These angels stand on the shoulders of the angels that came before them and so, we honor that in the movie."
Banks said she identifies with actress Kate Jackson from the original "Charlie's Angels" the most.
"I think because she was so brainy and relatable and honestly Jacqueline Smith and Farrah Fawcett, they were so beautiful. I couldn't have ever imagined being either one of them."
"Charlie's Angels" opens on Nov. 15.
