You may know Elizabeth Banks from the summer hit Zack and Miri Make a Porno."" Or you may know her as Laura Bush in ""W."" Or as the girlfriend in ""Role Models."" Or from the cult comedy hit ""Wainy Days."" Or from the upcoming thriller ""The Uninvited.""
In fact, Elizabeth Banks has done so much in the past year that you actually would have had to go out of your way to see a movie she wasn't in during 2008.
""I feel like a gypsy,"" Banks said about her insane work ethic. ""I feel like I belong in the circus. I'm just living out of bags, place to place to place.""
In ""The Uninvited,"" her next film, she plays an evil stepmother who may or may not have a murderous past.
""I have to say I really relished being bad. It was very fun to be a villain,"" Banks said.
Although she is currently stretching her dramatic chops with movies like ""The Uninvited"" and ""W.,"" Banks is more well-known as the drop-dead gorgeous girl with even better comedic timing from hits such as ""The 40 Year-Old Virgin"" and ""Wet Hot American Summer.""
""I love working with David [Wain] and Paul [Rudd] and Seth Rogen ... We just have a great rapport with each other on set,"" she said, explaining her preference for comedic movies.
""It's our job to laugh on the sets of comedies ... They're more fun to make.""
This isn't to suggest that Banks exclusively prefers to make comedies, as evidenced by ""The Uninvited."" She described her character as a mix of three of her favorite femmes fatales:
""I based it on Glenn Close in 'Fatal Attraction,' I based it on Rebecca De Mornay in 'Hand That Rocks the Cradle,' and a little bit of Sharon Stone in 'Basic Instinct.'""
Although the movie could just be written off as yet another Asian horror remake, Banks emphasized that the movie is much deeper than classic thrillers.
""There's a whole sense of spirituality in Asian horror that is not endemic in our culture ... The Asian movies get to draw on this crazy mythology and the warrior culture and thousands of years of spiritual questions.""
Clearly, Banks is more than just a pretty face. ""I wasn't always this good-looking. I'm definitely getting better with age,"" she joked.
""I have the appearance of a winner, but I really feel like a loser on the inside, and that adds a lot to my comedy. There are a lot of pretty girls who don't have to develop their funny bone because they're beautiful. I developed my funny bone in order to get attention and make it through my shitty life in high school.""
As for 2009, Banks isn't planning on slowing down anytime soon. She just started a production company with her husband.
""As an actor, I'm the last person to get involved in a project,"" she explained. ""As a producer, I get to be involved from the very beginning of the storytelling process.""
She also may be reprising her role as secretary Betty Brant in the 'Spiderman' series, although she insisted, ""I'm the last person that they call.""
For now, Banks seems satisfied with her booming career. ""I feel I have a lot of choices,"" she said, proud of the fact that Hollywood has not found a role in which to typecast her.
""The Uninvited"" is in theaters starting Jan. 30, and after that, Banks will probably appear in most movies you see this year.
