ELIZABETH BANKS MAKES HISTORY
She won an award never given to a female director until now
Elizabeth Banks has become the first female director to be honoured with Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year award, and gave a heartfelt ‘tampon’ speech, reports deadline.com.
She is the fifth woman ever to receive the award in the 78year history of the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. Banks will soon be coming out with her next directorial, Charlie’s Angels, which she has also written, produced, and has featured in.
“I didn’t start directing movies because I think I am the greatest director in the world. I did it because I had something I wanted to say. I want to change the world, and so in thinking about my status, bestowed just now by three Angels, as an industry ‘pioneer’, I wanted to say something tonight that has never been said on this stage, at this forum,” Banks said as she started her acceptance speech.
“I wanted to say something entertaining for all, but especially meaningful to women and girls, something that I can pretty much guarantee (past honourees) Darryl F Zanuck and Jim Gianopulos have never said. I wanted to say tampon. I can only say it is probably the fear of every man in this room that you give a woman a microphone — it is all tampon talk all the time,” she added.
The actor, most recently seen in Brightburn, went on to explain the reason behind bringing up tampon in her speech.
“The best part of this speech is that when you go home, in the car tonight, or tomorrow when you’re at work, and you have to tell this story of tonight, you now also have to say ‘tampons’. And in telling this story and repeating that word, you’re gonna help me erode the stigma and taboo that still surrounds a basic necessity of modern life for half the world’s population,” she said.
She added that Charlie’s Angels has a scene with a tampon, and that the studio didn’t ask to have it excised or altered in any way.
“I think you gave this [award] to me because I made movies using a lens that is not used enough, because I take that responsibility seriously, and because I believe in the power of our content... I use my platform to chip away at injustices big and small, and to give hope to young women that the world can value them enough to not shame them for their basic human bodies.”