Elizabeth Banks hits back at misogynistic claim she 'can’t direct men'

• Elizabeth Banks challenged the stereotype that women cannot lead male actors on set.
• Her current series, The Miniature Wife, is streaming all episodes on Peacock.
• Banks has multiple upcoming projects, including a lead role in a new Apple TV+ comedy
  

Elizabeth Banks, the director behind hits like Pitch Perfect 2 and Cocaine Bear, recently addressed the persistent misogyny she has encountered in her career behind the camera.

Appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Thursday, the four-time Emmy nominee recalled being told directly that she "can't direct men" because they supposedly "won't follow" a female lead.

Banks countered this claim by pointing to her experience directing the legendary Ray Liotta in the 2023 dark comedy Cocaine Bear.

"I directed Ray Liotta, who played Henry Hill in Goodfellas, and I think I nailed it," she remarked, adding that she is proud to be part of a small but necessary "club" of female storytellers.

The discussion served as a thematic bridge to her current project, the Peacock original series The Miniature Wife, which premiered on 9 April 2026.

In the show, Banks stars alongside Matthew Macfadyen as Lindy, a woman literally shrunken to six inches by her scientist husband following a technological accident.

Banks explained that the absurdist premise allowed her to explore the "big feeling" of being diminished by a partner or a professional peer.

"I think we all have that relatable experience of being made to feel small every once in a while," she noted, highlighting how the show uses physical shrinking as a metaphor for power dynamics in marriage.

With three feature films already under her belt—including the 2019 Charlie’s Angels reboot—Banks is showing no signs of slowing down.

She is currently set to star in a newly announced, untitled Apple TV+ comedy about a divorced woman navigating a "lively second act," and her film Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is scheduled for release on 10 July 2026.

Through her production banner, Brownstone Productions, Banks continues to advocate for "agency" in female-led narratives, pushing for broader representation across all angles of the industry.